Military Families
Navy Question
sooo some of you may remember that DH was going in the Army and actually signed and swore in back in Feb. Well DH got in trouble back in high school (nothing since except a couple of traffic tickets) and got finger printed for one but there is actually nothing on file in the county court house but DH's finger prints popped in the FBI database after he was finger printed at MEPS. Well apparently the Colonel wouldn't sign off on his waiver because he had signed off on another guys waiver and he got a DWI a week later so they said DH has to wait 6 months and not get any tickets or anything like that and he could resubmit his paperwork and he should get in then. Even though we had a certified letter from the courthouse saying that there is no record of the offense. Well one of our good friends is retired Navy and made some calls and after hearing back put DH in touch with someone much higher up on the food chain in the Navy. They are running his info and told us to go talk to a recruiter since either way he'd have to go through a recruiter to get in but they said they didn't care about that stuff and they'd take him. My family has either been Air Force or Army....I know NOTHING about the Navy. But our friend said he truly believes that the Navy would be great for our family. Are their any Navy wives that can give me some info? I'm very worried about what will happen...it sucks that DH's mistakes back in high school, almost 7 years ago is holding him back now. I really thought it was done and he was going but I didn't know they could do that after he signed and swore in but then again it's the military. Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated!
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Re: Navy Question
If there is truly no record of an offense your H should look into having his prints expunged from the system so stuff like this doesn't haunt him.
What kind of info are you specifically looking for about the Navy?
No there isn't! I was actually thinking the same thing.
Really just anything. Everyone says that the Navy is nothing like the Army or Air Force. Is it really all that different?
i just went through the joining process ( on the officer side) and you needed a waiver for anything more than 4 traffic tickets so I would check on that. I had 4 speeding/parking tickets in my entire life and they freaked out about that.
the navy varies drastically for what his job will be. Do you know what he will be joining as and what he will be doing because that makes a big difference.
Married 11/27/09 and TTC right away
Dx: Complete septate uterus with cervical duplication, endometrial polyps, PCOS, endometriosis, hypo thyroid, luteal phase defect
4 uterus surgeries to correct my complete septum and to remove polyps and 2 years of seeing the RE, medicated cycles and IUIs
Baby 1 and 2: BFP 3/3/11 with 2 babies EDD 11/1/11, M/C 4/6/11
Baby #3: 8/11 pregnant EDD 4/27/11 and m/c:(
Baby #4: 10/12/11 BFP! EDD 6/16/12m/c 10/26/11
Baby #5: 3/13/12 BFP! EDD 11/25/12 ANOTHER m/c
Baby #6: 2/14/13- BFP! EDD 10/24/13, CP 2/19/13
Baby #7: 3/15/13- BFP! EDD 11/27/13, another CP
Baby #8. BFP 5/19/13 EDD 1/22/14. 8 was not our lucky number
4th septum resection on 5/31/13.
Baby #9: 6/29/13 BFP. C section scheduled for March 5th!
My miracle baby was born March 5 at 9:33am. He was 8 lbs 12.5 oz and 21.25 inches long!
DH will be going in as an E3. Our friend put DH in touch with a Cheif Quarter Master who from what we've been told basically wants to get DH in and then give him a list of his jobs avaliable for him because he wants him. The recruiter told us he doesn't know how the Army recruiter got his juvie info because it should be sealed. Honestly I'm so confused and I know the recruiters only tell you what they need to in order to get them.
I honestly can't say how different the Navy is from the Army or Air Force since my H is in the Navy and I don't have much experience with Army or Air Force life. I can tell you about my H's deployment. He is on a ship and they usually deploy for 6-8 months. He can't come home on R&R. He can only come home for an emergency or if he is due to transfer off the ship (which he won't be). He cannot use his cellphone when they are underway so to call me he needs a ship to shore calling card and has to use a phone on the ship. The calls aren't cheap and there are lines for the phones. He can e-mail but again there are lines for the computers. They have communication black outs where a switch is flipped and they cannot make calls or send e-mails, but they can still receive e-mail. There is no warning of when these black outs will occur or how long they will be. They have started Video Teleconferencing but the Sailor needs to make an appointment and I would have to go to base for it so it isn't something we are doing. Skype is only possible when they are in port right now. Does this help? Is this some of what you were looking for?
ETA: I talked about deployment because I have run into many people who make assumptions about DH's deployment based on what they know about people who are on the ground over there. For example people think I can pick up a phone and call him, I can't.
yes it does and wow! sounds very different! Most of our friends are also Army and we have a few that are Air Force...and of course things have changed since my dad was in. But it sounds very different! Thank you for the info! I wasn't expecting it to be so different but I'm glad I'll have some sort of idea!!! thanks again!
so it'll be easier to know what we'll expect when we know what his job is then?? the recruiter said we probably won't even get a list for about another week. And then if the Cheif Master Quarter really is wanting him then everything could change.
The best advice I can give you about what to expect is to not have expectations at all. As soon as I start to think that I can expect something from my husband's job, something changes. Even once you know what his job is, it can change. My husband started out with a nice office job in HQ a 5 minute drive away from our house. He worked late sometimes, but was usually home before 5:30.
Within two months, he had been moved to a job with a recon battalion with an hour commute, and lots of short training workups that required him to leave on TAD with little to no notice. And to top it off, sometimes those kinds of lateral moves come with weird orders that make it impossible to predict where he'll be in 8 months or so.
Even if they don't change battalions, it's quite normal for a career to progress between many different jobs, that come with hugely different responsibilities. You just have to learn to let go, and roll with the punches.
Married 11/27/09 and TTC right away
Dx: Complete septate uterus with cervical duplication, endometrial polyps, PCOS, endometriosis, hypo thyroid, luteal phase defect
4 uterus surgeries to correct my complete septum and to remove polyps and 2 years of seeing the RE, medicated cycles and IUIs
Baby 1 and 2: BFP 3/3/11 with 2 babies EDD 11/1/11, M/C 4/6/11
Baby #3: 8/11 pregnant EDD 4/27/11 and m/c:(
Baby #4: 10/12/11 BFP! EDD 6/16/12m/c 10/26/11
Baby #5: 3/13/12 BFP! EDD 11/25/12 ANOTHER m/c
Baby #6: 2/14/13- BFP! EDD 10/24/13, CP 2/19/13
Baby #7: 3/15/13- BFP! EDD 11/27/13, another CP
Baby #8. BFP 5/19/13 EDD 1/22/14. 8 was not our lucky number
4th septum resection on 5/31/13.
Baby #9: 6/29/13 BFP. C section scheduled for March 5th!
My miracle baby was born March 5 at 9:33am. He was 8 lbs 12.5 oz and 21.25 inches long!
Yes. My husband's schedule has changed many times at the same command. We are due to PCS within the year and we knew what his new job was going to be and had a list of potential places he would be stationed. I got a call from the middle of the ocean saying everything may have changed. Now he might have a different job which means a completely different list of places he could be stationed, including staying here. So now it's a waiting game for the orders to come through.
Every command is different on how they run things. At my DH's last command(a ship) he was FWD deployed and deployed for 3-4 months, was in port for a month, left again for 3-4 months, inport for a month....you get the picture. Also his job on the ship is completely different from the job he has now at the Naval Air Station we are at. On the ship he gathered information to present to the Capatin of the ship(can't really go into more detail about it sorry)....Now he's on shore duty and his job is being the Security Manager of a Squadron. So basically the job may vary from command to command.
Also like PP said the deployments are completely different from army/airforce deployments. You will probably only get to talk to him on the phone when the ship is inport...unless the ship has sailor phones which are like a dollar a min. The main communication is email and that's if there isn't a shutdown off all email for security purposes. When DH was deployed there would be weeks when I wouldn't get any emails.
I'm a little shocked that they are holding something that happened 7 years ago against him...it's not like he commited a felony.
the Navy sounds totally different then the Army and Air Force and the deployments seem totally different!
Yea I don't know why they are...the Navy recruiter said that they don't care about it but the Army Colonel did. It was just a stupid misdemeanor that was so long ago, it's ridiculous! Thanks for the advice!!!!!
There is a lot of information that goes with joining the military. I'm proud of your DH for wanting to serve but make sure that he gets all the information he needs before hand and not be scared to ask questions. I have personal experience with the Navy as I was in for 4 years and my DH is still in.
Under NO circumstances should your DH join without a specific job rating. The Navy will then TELL him what he can be, he really won't have a choice. It's always at the needs of the Navy. Also, even though he may know a Chief that would like to get him to work with him...the odds of that are very slim. The Navy provides jobs and assignments based on billetting and manning. They will put him wherever he is needed.
While deployments (on ships) can be strenuous, there are several other jobs in the Navy that don't even step foot on a ship. So, like I said...make sure DH looks over all the jobs and picks one that he's really interested in. I have nothing but positive feedback from my experiences, but just like any other branch...it comes with a lifestyle. Good luck with everything!
thank you that is all good info for me to know!! he wants to be a Seabea since he's been in school for engineering for about 3 years now and he wants to stick with that. I just wanna know for sure that he's going and they aren't jerking our chain....after the Army experience I'm nervous! I have told him we need to see about get that stuff taken off his record when there is no record of it anyways it's just holding him back!
This is the best advice you've received so far (other than the post mentioning that the reason they care about those misdemeanors is that it can affect security clearances, job qualifications, etc. Did you know that if your husband doesn't handle his finances well he can lose his security clearance should he be issued one? So even having something that isn't a crime - like significant debt - in your life can be an issue for his military career). But yes, your experience is going to vary from tour to tour, command to command, and job to job. They're all different. My husband is in Navy aviation and it is a completely different world than ships or subs or Seabees. And yes, don't wait to hear about this job the Chief wants your husband to get. The chances of that happening are slim. The Navy doesn't care about what the Chief wants. The Navy cares about what the Navy needs.
You also have sea tours (where your husband is deployable) and shore tours (where he doesn't deploy. But that doesn't mean he's home. He could be on an IA - individual augmentee - or be somewhere unaccompanied, which means you and the kids don't go, or just have a lot of TDY and travel throughout the tour). You usually alternate sea tours with shore tours. And careers generally follow a certain path. For example, my husband is in Navy aviation and his next sea tour, according to the preferred career path, is a "disassociated sea tour" which means he goes to a boat/ship for a tour instead of to another aviation squadron. Furthermore, I don't know how the Army/Air Force works and at the moment it doesn't really mean much because we are at war, but the Navy deploys during both war time and peace time. So even if/when Afghanistan/Libya/Iraq/wherever else calms down, your husband will still go on deployments. I don't know if the Army and Air Force do the same. Maybe the do, I just don't know.
I don't know what else you're really searching for. When your husband talks to a recruiter, ask that recruiter for some resources for you about the Fleet and Family Support Services that the Navy offers so you can get some info for yourself and your family as well.
if he has been working on his engineering degree for 3 years I would tell him to finish and come in as an officer. my husbands greatest regret was not going to the officer side sooner. once you are enlisted it is a lot harder to become an officer than just getting a degree. they even have programs for tuition assistance. just something to think about.
Married 11/27/09 and TTC right away
Dx: Complete septate uterus with cervical duplication, endometrial polyps, PCOS, endometriosis, hypo thyroid, luteal phase defect
4 uterus surgeries to correct my complete septum and to remove polyps and 2 years of seeing the RE, medicated cycles and IUIs
Baby 1 and 2: BFP 3/3/11 with 2 babies EDD 11/1/11, M/C 4/6/11
Baby #3: 8/11 pregnant EDD 4/27/11 and m/c:(
Baby #4: 10/12/11 BFP! EDD 6/16/12m/c 10/26/11
Baby #5: 3/13/12 BFP! EDD 11/25/12 ANOTHER m/c
Baby #6: 2/14/13- BFP! EDD 10/24/13, CP 2/19/13
Baby #7: 3/15/13- BFP! EDD 11/27/13, another CP
Baby #8. BFP 5/19/13 EDD 1/22/14. 8 was not our lucky number
4th septum resection on 5/31/13.
Baby #9: 6/29/13 BFP. C section scheduled for March 5th!
My miracle baby was born March 5 at 9:33am. He was 8 lbs 12.5 oz and 21.25 inches long!
There are so many different departments to the Navy. DH is not in the regular fleet and I can tell you that for what he does, he has to have top secret security clearances and a clean record (dated back to his 18th birthday; he's 30) up the wazoo....So again, it could be subject to his particular job/assignment.
However, I do want to say that the Navy has been wonderful to us and I'm sure you would have the same experience. Best of luck to you and DH! Go Navy!
It is extremely hard to generalize about any branch of the military. My husband is in the Navy but he is an aviator (carrier based). That alone makes our lifestyle different from someone who is on subs or land based aviation.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, one of the things I love about the Navy is that (generally speaking) our bases are in nice locations. Waterfront areas tend to be more populous and have more infrastructure. So our biggest bases (Norfolk, San Diego, Pearl Harbor) are in what I would consider "better" areas with more opportunities for spouses to have jobs, kids to get a better education, etc. Plus, the little things like beaches, restaurants, and proximity to big cities on the coasts. We aren't land locked usually and FOR ME that is huge. I would have a very hard time at some of the AF and Army bases.
On the other hand, when you are on a ship (which most of the Navy is), communication during deployments can be lacking. We don't have Skype on most ships, email can be slow or non-existant, phone calls are expensive and poor quality. I get jealous when I see my AF and Army friends talking about Skyping and calling their husband's daily in Afghanistan (and before anyone jumps on me, remember, I am generalizing here). When my husband deploys I am lucky to get a 2 line email once per day and if we want to talk on the phone we pay $1-$3/minute for a satellite delayed chat.
The Navy has the same pay, benefits, and opportunities as any other branch. My husband (who is an officer so I am talking about his path) has gotten so much from the Navy. They paid for his undergraduate degree (Naval Academy), his Master's degree from Johns Hopkins, obviously paid for flight school, put him through Test Pilot School, and we still have a GI Bill available for one of our kids. Pretty amazing!
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens