SEAMAN PACT to GM - 1 point waiver help!

[kforbs126]

Originally Posted by MickeyMcD

I don't even think your ASVAB scores matter all that much once you hit the fleet, does it?

Yes it does.

[Haasino]

Your chances of retaking the ASVAB prior to shipping out as Undes is very unlikely... Recruiters need to fill quotas for PACT, and ASVAB retests are usually only done if someone fails so they can join. Simply put, you're already a check-mark on your recruiting station's monthly quota board.

The plus side is, you can retake the ASVAB once you're active duty... when the time comes that you're eligible to strike for a rating, you're also in more control of your affairs than you are as a Future Sailor. Right now, you have a recruiter who handles all affairs with MEPS and has ultimate authority over you leaving for RTC. In the fleet, you're going to have a career councilor who's office you can effectively occupy and who's presence you can annoy daily in order to get what you want... in this case, an ASVAB re-test.

[ProudCONavyMom]

My son was depped in last year in August. He scored around 89 on the ASVAB and wanted to join as SWCC or MA. I'm not sure what his recruiter told him while standing there at MEPS, but he ended up in PACT. I was really scared for him not getting what he wanted. He went to RTC in January 2014. He graduated in March. He stayed on base in Illinois in PACT-A school until May. Then he was sent to Naval Base San Diego and deployed on a frigate a few days later. He will be coming home again after Christmas, but it was a quick transition that we weren't really aware of. January in bootcamp, March in A-school, May on a ship and deployed thousands of miles away.

As far as I know from his experience, your ASVAB doesn't matter after you go to MEPS and get assigned a rate. During this first deployment, in the beginning he was assigned to scrape paint and reorganize equipment, etc. But the idea for a PACT-SN is to work in the different ratings on the ship they are eligible to strike for. So once they were underway, he was assigned to the CS rating and served food and took orders for the officers and cleaned up. It wasn't what he wanted to do, he was awake first and slept last on the ship for months. He was also passed over for ashore volunteer opportunities due to his responsibility to the CS rate.

After his 3 month stint as CS, he was SURE that wasn't for him. He was again assigned to just scraping paint and standing watch. (Get ready to stand watch. There will be a LOT of that.) But in November he was told he needed to chose from these four rates, LS, GM, CS and BM. Having known he didn't like CS or BM, he was choosing between LS and GM. I haven't understood why he had to chose then, or why he couldn't chose MA like he wanted, but I guess we'll get he whole story when he gets home. He is happy about it though. He really wanted to work with weapons, so I guess he'll be happy with that.

One thing I do what to express; he is happy in the Navy. He enjoyed most of the time in boot camp; his division earned the CNO flag. He's enjoyed deployment and the places he's seen. He said that if it weren't for being away from home, it would be the perfect job. But we all expected that. He's mention on more than one occasion that it really is more of a mental adjustment than anything. It is what you put into it. He was looking for a once in a lifetime experience and found that in the Navy.

Good luck to you and thank you all so much for your service. Know that your sacrifice is incredibly appreciated.


Dawn

[LT Guppy]

Just wanted to clarify a couple things. My comments are in bold.

Originally Posted by ProudCONavyMom

My son was depped in last year in August. He scored around 89 on the ASVAB and wanted to join as SWCC or MA. I'm not sure what his recruiter told him while standing there at MEPS, but he ended up in PACT. I was really scared for him not getting what he wanted. He went to RTC in January 2014. He graduated in March. He stayed on base in Illinois in PACT-A school until May. Then he was sent to Naval Base San Diego and deployed on a frigate a few days later. He will be coming home again after Christmas, but it was a quick transition that we weren't really aware of. January in bootcamp, March in A-school, May on a ship and deployed thousands of miles away. This is really luck of the draw. Some Sailors will deploy immediately, some won't deploy for a year or more. It just depends on where their ship is in it's cycle.

As far as I know from his experience, your ASVAB doesn't matter after you go to MEPS and get assigned a rate. Your son has a pretty decent score, which is why it probably wasn't a limiting factor for him. During this first deployment, in the beginning he was assigned to scrape paint and reorganize equipment, etc. But the idea for a PACT-SN is to work in the different ratings on the ship they are eligible to strike for. So once they were underway, he was assigned to the CS rating and served food and took orders for the officers and cleaned up. Nearly every Sailor in the Navy will do about 3 month's with the CSs. It is called cranking. Basically, there are jobs required of the CSs (helping in the galley, washing dishes, being the wardroom attendant) that they simply can't cover due to manning, so all junior Sailors take a turn helping out (usually in their first 6 months or so). It wasn't what he wanted to do, he was awake first and slept last on the ship for months. He was also passed over for ashore volunteer opportunities due to his responsibility to the CS rate.

After his 3 month stint as CS, he was SURE that wasn't for him. He was again assigned to just scraping paint and standing watch. (Get ready to stand watch. There will be a LOT of that.) But in November he was told he needed to chose from these four rates, LS, GM, CS and BM. Having known he didn't like CS or BM, he was choosing between LS and GM. I haven't understood why he had to chose then, or why he couldn't chose MA like he wanted MA is not a rate one can typically strike for, but I guess we'll get he whole story when he gets home. He is happy about it though. He really wanted to work with weapons, so I guess he'll be happy with that.

One thing I do what to express; he is happy in the Navy. He enjoyed most of the time in boot camp; his division earned the CNO flag. He's enjoyed deployment and the places he's seen. He said that if it weren't for being away from home, it would be the perfect job. But we all expected that. He's mention on more than one occasion that it really is more of a mental adjustment than anything. It is what you put into it. He was looking for a once in a lifetime experience and found that in the Navy.

Good luck to you and thank you all so much for your service. Know that your sacrifice is incredibly appreciated.


Dawn

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by ProudCONavyMom

So once they were underway, he was assigned to the CS rating and served food and took orders for the officers and cleaned up.
Dawn

Your son wasn't assigned to be a CS during that time, what he was doing is something we on the boat call "Cranking".

ALL junior personnel (including me, as a CT, when I was at sea) have to do about 3-5 months of working down on the mess decks for the CS's. This is because there aren't enough CS's to do everything that needs to get done to feed the crew everyday, so every division on the ship usually sends down either the new guys or the junior folks who haven't done it before. So since he was the new guy and S-division needed bodies, he had to take his turn cranking.

/r
CTT1

[JSlattery]

Originally Posted by CTT1(SW)Griffin

Your son wasn't assigned to be a CS during that time, what he was doing is something we on the boat call "Cranking".

ALL junior personnel (including me, as a CT, when I was at sea) have to do about 3-5 months of working down on the mess decks for the CS's. This is because there aren't enough CS's to do everything that needs to get done to feed the crew everyday, so every division on the ship usually sends down either the new guys or the junior folks who haven't done it before. So since he was the new guy and S-division needed bodies, he had to take his turn cranking.

/r
CTT1

As a quick side question, does this happen only ship side or does this happen on Shore Duty as well? (More just curious.)

[FlyNavy]

Originally Posted by JSlattery

As a quick side question, does this happen only ship side or does this happen on Shore Duty as well? (More just curious.)

I'm not entirely sure, as the shore duty I'm at is a joint facility and civilians run the Mess Decks. I'm sure someone on here would have more insight into a Navy-only shore duty. But my guess would be it's unlikely. When I was on the ship, the Mess Hall on base appeared to be staffed by assigned CS folks. But it's entirely possible. We only ate there if the Mess Decks on the ship were unavailable.

/r
CTT1

[LT Guppy]

Originally Posted by JSlattery

As a quick side question, does this happen only ship side or does this happen on Shore Duty as well? (More just curious.)

We don't at my shore command.

[FutureND]

Originally Posted by JSlattery

As a quick side question, does this happen only ship side or does this happen on Shore Duty as well? (More just curious.)

I met my battalion while deployed to Okinawa about half way through and was put in the ward room working with the CS's for the last three months. Now in home port we still have people assigned to work FSA with the CS's. It is always junior personnel and usually for a 3 month stint. Good news is that you usually only have to do this once.

[CTR3(IW/SG) Freddie]

This is different from the TAD everyone dreads right?