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Old 07-28-2016, 06:50 PM   #1
Barbazu
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I made it through boot camp at 39 years old! I'll gladly fill you in on the whole experience and answer any questions you may have about boot camp. I'm currently at Corry Station so I can answer a few questions about it, too.
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Old 07-28-2016, 08:50 PM   #2
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I made it through boot camp at 39 years old! I'll gladly fill you in on the whole experience and answer any questions you may have about boot camp. I'm currently at Corry Station so I can answer a few questions about it, too.
How was it? Were RDC's tough on you making you scream? Did you have any struggle with communication with alot of recruits who may be alot younger or just straight out of high school?
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Old 07-29-2016, 06:20 PM   #3
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I made it through boot camp at 39 years old! I'll gladly fill you in on the whole experience and answer any questions you may have about boot camp. I'm currently at Corry Station so I can answer a few questions about it, too.
Congratulations, Shipmate! BZ!!

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Old 07-31-2016, 05:39 PM   #4
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Boot camp is easy. The hardest part was being away from my wife and kids. Thankfully, due to my security clearance, I was able to make several phone calls with no time limit.
Dealing with the children was pretty rough sometimes. A lot of them were sissies that couldn't handle any sort of exercise. We started with 88 and ended with 61. That final number includes several asmo ins. I tried to lay low, but it's impossible for the old guy to lay low. I started p-days as laundry Po and ended up being medical yeoman.
Like I said before, boot camp is easy. It's 95% a mind game. If you can hold it together for the first 3 weeks you can make it.... Unless you can't do 10 push-ups then you're screwed.
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Old 05-09-2017, 11:02 AM   #5
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I made it through boot camp at 39 years old! I'll gladly fill you in on the whole experience and answer any questions you may have about boot camp. I'm currently at Corry Station so I can answer a few questions about it, too.
you've just given me a ton of hope haha. I'm not 39 but I'm definitely not 18 lol.
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Old 05-15-2017, 06:49 PM   #6
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I made it through boot camp at 39 years old! I'll gladly fill you in on the whole experience and answer any questions you may have about boot camp. I'm currently at Corry Station so I can answer a few questions about it, too.

What happens if future sailors arrive and don't pass the initial drug test at Great Lakes, even though they passed at MEPS originally? Is there a chance to retake or so they send you straight home? I have a family member who is shipping soon. People smoke stuff around him all the time. But he doesn't do anything.

Also, if he takes his immunization papers when he ships off, will he be free of getting a million shots at Great Lakes?

Oh, one more question: What do we pack to ship to him for A school? He'll be at Great Lakes for A school.
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Old 05-15-2017, 07:16 PM   #7
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If he pops the drug test he'll get the boot no questions asked. The Navy doesn't play with drug tests. We had a dude fail the initial test and they sent him packing. If he takes immunization papers they'll probably let him skate on some of the shots. But good luck dealing with them. Medical was not fun.

For A school I'd send him some civilian clothes, cell phone, books if he's a reader, maybe some snacks. Once he gets through the initial phase 1 week or so he'll be able to leave the base to pick up whatever he needs. Plus there's a NEX there so he'll be able to get food and clothes. I was in Pensacola, and the only thing I really wanted my wife to send me was some pictures of my kids and my cell phone.
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Old 05-17-2017, 04:43 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by musiakalb View Post
What happens if future sailors arrive and don't pass the initial drug test at Great Lakes, even though they passed at MEPS originally? Is there a chance to retake or so they send you straight home? I have a family member who is shipping soon. People smoke stuff around him all the time. But he doesn't do anything.

Also, if he takes his immunization papers when he ships off, will he be free of getting a million shots at Great Lakes?

Oh, one more question: What do we pack to ship to him for A school? He'll be at Great Lakes for A school.
Medical is a pain in the ass. My file had my immunization record in it and I still got shots that I had already received. What's nice though is apparently when they take the 6 (7 depending on rate) vials of blood, they can find out what you already have had. That's what I heard while I was there at least. I didn't get ALL of the shots, but I definitely got more than I probably should have. If you were hardly ever vaccinated as a kid, the most shots you'll get a day were like 7 or 8. They're split into 2 days for a total of around 16 shots.
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Old 05-17-2017, 07:54 PM   #9
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Medical is a pain in the ass. My file had my immunization record in it and I still got shots that I had already received. What's nice though is apparently when they take the 6 (7 depending on rate) vials of blood, they can find out what you already have had. That's what I heard while I was there at least. I didn't get ALL of the shots, but I definitely got more than I probably should have. If you were hardly ever vaccinated as a kid, the most shots you'll get a day were like 7 or 8. They're split into 2 days for a total of around 16 shots.
They did titers for my class. People needed anywhere between 2 and 12 shots depending on what their blood showed immunity to.

*OCS not RTC, but titers save the navy money, so they *should* do them everywhere
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Old 05-18-2017, 06:47 AM   #10
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They did titers for my class. People needed anywhere between 2 and 12 shots depending on what their blood showed immunity to.

*OCS not RTC, but titers save the navy money, so they *should* do them everywhere
Ah, so that's what that's called. I think that's a pretty cool method personally. I felt bad for the recruits that had to get every shot though. Poor souls.
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Old 07-05-2017, 11:13 PM   #11
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So glad to hear that it went well. I'm 29, married with kids and was able to choose the rate I wanted and am shipping out at the end of the year. And I absolutely cannot wait to get started.

I was wondering since you joined married and with kids, that you may be able to offer some insight on how that is, now that you are out of your school.

I'll be at A and C school in Virginia for over 6 months and my husband and I are considering them waiting to move with me until I have my permanent duty station. That way my husband can continue with his work and get ready to hopefully be able to work remotely and so the kids are not having to move and get settled in multiple schools in one year.

So my questions are:
1. Did your family move with you to your A school?
2. Do you live in the barracks in this circumstance or are you able (or should you even consider) getting a small place of your own so your family can stay with you when they come to visit.
3. How has it been being separated from your family during boot (and after)
4. How is it acclimating to the navy being older and coming in at a lower enlisted rank?

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Old 07-06-2017, 09:19 AM   #12
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First, I'm in the reserve so after A school I just went home. There's no PCS for me. My family stayed at home while I was in A school. My wife has a good job so it didn't make sense to risk her job when I was just going to come home. I lived in the barracks while at A school. But I knew several folks that had their families come with them and were able to live off base. If your family comes with you that's definitely the best choice. But if your school is short it might be more financially beneficial to live at the barracks until you get stationed somewhere. I was away from my family for just shy of 7 months. It was difficult. On the one hand, I missed them and it's hard to parent when you're 1,000 miles away. On the other hand, I made a lot of friends and spent a lot of time hanging out with them. That caused some unforeseen problems for me. My wife wasn't too keen on me being friends with a bunch of 19 year olds.... Coming into the Navy at 38 years old and an E2 was extremely difficult to get use to. In fact, it sucked. I've had a ton of life experience and know myself quite well. I know how the world works and I know how to get things done. But, I had LPOs that were 20 years younger than me telling me what to do and how to do it. It was pretty annoying. Now that I'm established at a command and attached to a unit my LPO, LCPO, and CO know that I'm a hard worker and that I'm not an idiot so it goes a little smoother these days. Boot camp and A school are pretty difficult for older folks. But that's not the Navy. Once you're through with training you'll find that for the most part the Navy is laid back. I have friends that are chiefs, senior chiefs, and even a master chief. One of my best buddies is LTJG, and I have a sort of mentor that's a Captain. They're not yelling at me and ordering me around. They're my friends. That's not something you'll experience during your initial active duty for training. But it's definitely possible once you're in the fleet. Being older takes a little getting used to, but overall it's not that bad. Just don't be a dirtbag and everything will go well with you in the Navy.
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