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OK.....so I have been doing alot of pondering on life...as crappy as it is.....I haven't made a definate choice I need to sit down with a recruiter and weigh my options. I am considering enlisting into the Navy.

One MAJOR thing is my custody of DS.....I want him with me. I do not want to loose my custody....Not that his father wants DS more than scheduled anyways and I would love to have pictures of the inside of there apartment which is always filthy.....i swear they never pick up after themselves.


This is all still up in the air for me.....but I am considering it and would like some military folk opinion.

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Don't know the Navy well, but I know the Army.

You'd be required to setup a single parent plan. That plan would require you to have setup and established short term, mid-term, and long-term care options for your DS.

If you're required to work late, go in early, whatever, you'd be expected to make use of your short term care provider plan. Being a single parent AND a soldier requires that you be able to meet your duties and not have a conflict with taking care of your DS.

Mid-term care would be ensuring that you had care for your DS in the event of a field problem or EDRE type event.

If you're sent on a deployment, you'd be expected to be able to get your long-term provider engaged to take care of your DS in the event that you are deployed overseas.

Nothing against the military...it did me a world of good. But you'll want to make sure you've got a good handle on how to balance your duties to your DS and your duties to the branch of service you join.

Its something to have given a lot of thought to BEFORE you go in.

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This is why I look to more experienced people for advice.....I am struggling to get some stability....I was an ROTC brat I have experience with this a bit....and I know it would make a more stable life for us and I could afford to give my DS a better life.

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Surviving,

I was in the Navy for 9 years. It is a tough place for a family. If you would really like to join a branch of the service, I would suggest the Airforce or Coast Guard, both still do deployments, but it is likely with the Airforce you can be stationed with your family. In the Navy you will do deployments on a ship, and wil be gone a minimum of 6 months every year and a half. Not a good place for a single person raising a child.

Ryan.

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If I consider the Air Force.....i was told...at one point not sure if it is still valid.....since I was in the ROTC program in school (it was a navy program) I would enter at a higher rank would that still apply?

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College ROTC? If you have degree, you will most likely not be enlisting you will be commissioned, as an Officer. I don't know of any ROTC programs that allow you to enter higher then an O1. Except maybe engineering, or the medical field. If you don't have a college degree, you will most likely be going in as an E1, unless you have some college credit. 15 college credits you can go in as an E2, 30 college credits you can go in as an E3. Remember this was in 1998 when I joined. Going in as an officer is the only way I would join the service, unless you don't feel you have a stable job.

If you have any specific questions let me know. I have worked in Joint environments and still work very closely with all the branches of the military.

Ryan.

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well I have been studying for a degree in administration of justice...law enforcement...I already have a P.O.S.T level 2 certificate and am completing my level 1.

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Ryan can you email me?*****EDIT BY SIHW*******

Last edited by surviving in his wake; 11/12/07 07:18 PM.
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Just sent you an email.

Ryan.

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K got it and replied...thanks again ryan I appreciate all your help.

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No problem. I hope I can help some, since everyone else has been so great helping me.

Ryan.

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I appreciate I am sure RIF will be here soon too with his fatherly advice :P....what I didn't say you were old this time.....just expecting great wisdom from someone so much more experienced....

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I am in the Army. Owl mostly covered it, as far as your child is concerned. It won't be easy, but it would be doable for sure.

The military provides structure, opportunity and several benefits. Any job that offers such things usually comes at a price.

You can talk to a recruiter and find out what is available given your situation and education.

Make sure they don't promise you something they can not deliver. Get things in writing before you commit to the terms. So on and so forth.

If there is anything you want to know about the Army, I would be willing to talk about it. Answer any questions. Things like that.

I've been in 17 years.

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I am sure RIF will be here soon too with his fatherly advice


Hey Wake! Gotta take care of a few things this morning... I'll send you a reply in a little bit...

Semper Fi!
RIF


Me, BS

Her, Forgiven

Married Dec 86

Multiple A's that ended '90

Rebuilding In Faith since then...

Currently deployed to Iraq, but TEXAS is Home!
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Hey Wake,

First, I salute your desire to join the military! Goodness knows that we need more people like you that are willing to serve!

Having said that, and knowing a little bit about your recent situation with your BF... I would ask you WHY do you want to join?

If your reason is because you're unhappy with the situation with your BF, then that's not a good reason. If you join, it needs to be because YOU want to join.

Unless things have changed, you will have to sign up for 8 years... it can be a combination of active and inactive, but your total number will be 8. 2 active/6 IRR, 4 active/4 IRR, and so on... You need to be aware that the military can call you up when you are in the IRR so if you only want to do 2 years active, then you're still "on the hook" so to speak for the remaining 6 years that you're in the IRR.

I'm pretty sure that you will have to sign over your son to a relative until you get out of Basic and AIT... you won't be allowed to have him there with you. Once you get to your first duty station, you may (or may not) be allowed to have him with you.

If you join the Army or the Marines, you can almost bet on coming over here or Iraq. If you join the Navy, you'll be on a ship for 6 months at a time. The Air Force is starting to have more deployments as well, but they do seem to live 'better' than the Army and the Marines...

The choice is up to you, but if you're thinking about joining just to 'get away' from your BF situation, then I'd think very carefully before you sign away 8 years of your life...

Semper Fi,

RIF


Me, BS

Her, Forgiven

Married Dec 86

Multiple A's that ended '90

Rebuilding In Faith since then...

Currently deployed to Iraq, but TEXAS is Home!
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Hey Wake,

I thought of some other things that you might want to think about...

If you do decide that the military is right for you, check out the different branches to see which ones are offering the best enlistment bonuses. I know that the Army is paying up to $25K for a three year enlistment in certain MOS's... and they were doing a Quick Ship bonus of up to $15K if you agreed to go to boot camp by a specified date.

If you want to check out what's available w/o talking to a recruiter, you can go to www.military.com and find some good information... Recruiters have gotten better, but remember, they have certain targets that they are shooting for so if they say you "can't" have a specific MOS, go to another branch of the service...

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in a job that you didn't really want, and knowing that you still have 3-4 more years before you can change.

Also, if you have a college degree, then check out the officer programs... I've been on both sides and it's much better as an engineer officer than an 0311 grunt! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> (and the pay is much better too!)

Semper Fi,

RIF

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Wake,

I spent 6 yrs in the AF as a single parent. It's do-able, but not easy. You will have to deploy and go on remotes (1 yr long). If you have a good support system, you should feel safe in having DS stay with them during your times away. It'll never feel "right" to be separated from your son. I do think the AF is most accommodating to people, though. My oldest (DD19) has made the most of it all and is a very stable, mature young lady.


AKA VowsRSacred/ VRS Me 44 WH 46 dd Mar 7 06 Dday 2 Jan 19 07 EA and PA DD 19 DS 10 DS 7 DD 4
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Hey Wake,

I thought of some other things that you might want to think about...

If you do decide that the military is right for you, check out the different branches to see which ones are offering the best enlistment bonuses. I know that the Army is paying up to $25K for a three year enlistment in certain MOS's... and they were doing a Quick Ship bonus of up to $15K if you agreed to go to boot camp by a specified date.

If you want to check out what's available w/o talking to a recruiter, you can go to www.military.com and find some good information... Recruiters have gotten better, but remember, they have certain targets that they are shooting for so if they say you "can't" have a specific MOS, go to another branch of the service...

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in a job that you didn't really want, and knowing that you still have 3-4 more years before you can change.

Also, if you have a college degree, then check out the officer programs... I've been on both sides and it's much better as an engineer officer than an 0311 grunt! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> (and the pay is much better too!)

Semper Fi,

RIF

almost sounds like haggling over a new car.... <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

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did you go in as a single parent?

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almost sounds like haggling over a new car....


Exactly!!! The only difference is that YOU are signing a legal document to give the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marines 6-8 YEARS of your life...

Once you are sworn in, there's no turning back... unless you are willing to suffer some fairly severe consequences.

I'm not trying to scare you, but joining the military is a huge commitment that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Semper Fi,

RIF

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