A little insight?

[Marc622]

So it's been a long journey here at NNPTC and it's finally over. I must say that I enjoyed my time here for the most part. Some days longer than others, dealing with the galley workers, and other students who believe they are "tough" => reckless with their mouths. I got my orders last week and it seems I'm headed to prototype in NY ( its awesome because that's where I'm from). Oh before I continue let me say this : To those looking into joining the Navy ( nuke or not), yes it is possible to get what you want. Obviously alot of luck is involved there. I will be on three months of hold before I actually class up for prototype, so I'm kind of wondering what exactly will I be doing up in NY while waiting. I know cleaning is already a given, but if anyone has any experience please do share. Thxs guys and if anyone has any question about bootcamp or NNPTC. I'll be happy to answer them. Also I'm an ET just in case anyone was wondering.

[Trevar]

Congrats and good luck in prototype!

I ship in 5 months, i'm nervous about school, but you don't seem to describe it as the hell that i've previously heard. Is it really as terrible as described? My recruiter is a nuke and he consistantly talks about how rediculously hard it was and how he had 0 life and how he still has 0 life and he seems like he pretty much regrets every miunet of it and cant wait to get out. I know what I signed up for, and I'm fully aware that I'm giving myself to the Navy for the next 6-8 years on their terms, not my own. I guess I just wanna know what you think overall about choosing this path. At this early point in your journey have you any regrets?

I'm a realist and i understand nuke life isn't going to be peachy, and i know my recruiters talk out of their asses alot, but do you remember anything specific that your recruiters told you possible when in all reality its one of those things that in order fo achive you have to be the luckiest person alive or god?

[shocker]

There are two ways you can approach each day at NNPTC...  You can do it the way a seemingly vast majority do and perpetuate the legend that each time you scan your ID, ADM Rickover steals a part of your soul.  Or you can look at it the way I do.  I pawned my soul when I signed my name on the dotted line at MEPS.  Each time I sign into the building is a little piece back, and one step closer to being a qualified nuke.

The ones who complain about the schedule are the ones who waste time while they are in the building.  Consequently they are also the ones who spend the most time there.  Then again Ive also already worked a job much more demanding than this 60+ hours a week so that part isnt that bad for me...

[bluenose]

Shocker.  Decent post.  You didn't pawn your soul, you signed a contract.  I agree with you about your NNPTC portion.  I'm a retired x2 instructor/advisor, and follow-on class director.  It's all about time management.  Oh, and also, accepting that some are more gifted than oneself.  I taught a gal nuke who finished with a 3.996 avg, enlisted, and she still spent 20 plus hrs a week helping others study.  She was in class 9905, and she's a LCDR, after switching over to O-Land.  Set your alarm to when you wanna get up, and your mind to what you want to do.

[Styrofoam]

I pawned my soul when I signed my name on the dotted line at MEPS.  Each time I sign into the building is a little piece back, and one step closer to being a qualified nuke.

I love this. If I could give out karma, you'd totally have some.

[Fermi2]

I nailed a hot officer math instructor for over 16 weeks so it was totally wrth it to me

[JoshD1982]

I was on voluntary hours all through power school but still spent anywhere between 25-40 hours in good old Rickover Center just because I liked being on Vols and wanted to keep it that way.  When you are in the building studying you won't normally feel pressured to leave because most of your friends are there with you anyways.  I thought power school was a blast, the information that you are taught is way more interesting than MM a school was so I was a little more focused because of that.  In addition to that I spent a couple of months on hold so my best friends were in prototype and living across the hall from some CSU girls. My advice to anyone in the pipeline is to work hard and play harder there is much fun to be had in charleston and saratoga.

[shocker]

You didn't pawn your soul, you signed a contract.

I dont know about that... The contract I signed stipulated significant financial compensation, provided I allow them to use me in any way they see fit during the agreed time period.  Perhaps leasing my soul is a better metaphor? :-P  That doesnt neccesarily mean they will use my soul in a way I find disagreeable though, in fact I have enjoyed it so far :-)

[walstib]

beware of the post midwatch midrats usually consisting of gravy and hard rice with the occasional mystery chew/meat. It's only going to get worse, way worse!

Obviously you didn't go subs, thats where you need to go for the midrats.  First time I ever had baked Alaska was the desert after a steak and lobster dinner on halfway night.     Yeah, there still some good memories from back then...many many moons ago.

[HydroDave63]

I nailed a hot officer math instructor for over 16 weeks so it was totally wrth it to me

BZ in the Metallica shirt...

[MacGyver]

I nailed a hot officer math instructor for over 16 weeks so it was totally wrth it to me

Seriously, 16 weeks?  And here I thought "Nine 1/2 Weeks" {sic} was a long movie!

[Cycoticpenguin]

I was in the CVN world (CVN 69) and most definitely didn't have ANY positive memories from the food. And I think as the days have passed your memories of the ole' boat may be getting progressively more glamorous/delusional. To be fair, my 02-07 watch misery memories are slowly being replaced with pseudo memories of my flight time and democracy preserving flare launching sessions to serve democracy abroad! I swear that one night we had camel jerky with gravy and the token bagged taters....mm mm!

Oh please, 2-7 were the best watches to have

[Gamecock]

Oh please, 2-7 were the best watches to have

I did the refueling on the IKE. 

24 hour duty for the PPWO.

What is this 2-7 of which you speak?

BTW...Barge food is worse then galley food.

[bluenose]

I don't know about that... The contract I signed stipulated significant financial compensation, provided I allow them to use me in any way they see fit during the agreed time period.  Perhaps leasing my soul is a better metaphor? :-P  That doesn't necessarily mean they will use my soul in a way I find disagreeable though, in fact I have enjoyed it so far :-)

Call it what you want.  It's an all volunteer service.  Choose your rate, choose your fate.  If you look back on it and say you 'pawned your soul' joining the military, then you're foolish going in, and didn't do the research.  If you felt that way to begin with, then you get what you get.  Anyone willing to pawn their soul, or even lease it, seems a bit lacking for intelligence.  Obviously you are not, so I'd say you're just melodramatic  Note, I corrected your spelling from your original post.

[Gamecock]

I can easily see the sarcasm in this now. It is my normal automatic reaction to an RCOH guy to assume that it is a complaining flex grunt because its all I ever heard from the RCOH guys. It got really
old and we were happy when the last one left so the stories would finally stop. Disregard my automatic kneejerk reaction for assuming RCOH meanining that I was going to get some up hill both ways in the snow story.....

I pretty much did all my CVN time in the yard (precomm CVN-73 as a young MM, and RCOH on IKE as LT).   Unlike most, I liked the yard and didn't ever feel that I got short-changed because I didn't get to deploy.

When I heard about IKE doing great things while  deployed, I always felt a strong sense of pride for having helped get her back to the real navy. 

And I do recognize that your sacrifice for three deployments far exceeded any pain I went through putting IKE back together.  Your service, then and now, is still appreciated.

Cheers,
GC

[shocker]

Call it what you want.  It's an all volunteer service.  Choose your rate, choose your fate.  If you look back on it and say you 'pawned your soul' joining the military, then you're foolish going in, and didn't do the research.  If you felt that way to begin with, then you get what you get.  Anyone willing to pawn their soul, or even lease it, seems a bit lacking for intelligence.  Obviously you are not, so I'd say you're just melodramatic  Note, I corrected your spelling from your original post.

Melodramatic is probably a good word :-)  In all honestly when I decided to join I imagined a worst case scenario of all the horror stories I had heard.  Long deployments, long work hours, no sleep, bad crews, etc.  I signed up when it felt like what I was getting would be worth whatever horror story I would come to call my own.  I know that I am at the whims of "Needs of the Navy", I know that my time will not be all sunshine and daisies, but I also know that the Nuclear program is opening doors, and compensating me in a way I had not done for myself in the civilian world.

TY for the correction on the spelling - I do my best to allow my written posts to show an understanding of English but those silly C's mess with me all the time.  I before E, or doubles.

[Cycoticpenguin]

Especially when confused nubs make generator indication levels peg high......  You would'nt happen to know what I am talking about, would you?

Now... who in the world... would tell their nubs to go do valve maintenance at 4 am after they KNOW for sure they havent slept in three days.... Who would specifically tell their nubs to go VML BL valves and make them "shiny" haha I still blame you boss.

For the rest of you, drayer here was my WCS until I eventually took it over from him (matt doesnt count ) He led me to great things hahaha

[HydroDave63]

You should take pride in causing a RX scram and recovery, I did it a time or so myself....

Uhhh....actually, most of us did our time withOUT causing one.

Just saying   

[Cycoticpenguin]

Uhhh....actually, most of us did our time withOUT causing one.

Just saying  

I've caused SEVERAL THINGS,* hmm.... I was a walking tornado, but I kept that plant running better then the other plant most of the time. Went the entire deployment with no turbine failures, pump failures, or anything like that when I was runnin the show (because I had good experience, and I knew which screw ups to check for )


If you never mess up, how can you learn from your mistakes???

*edited by GC

[Gamecock]

If you never mess up, how can you learn from your mistakes???

"It is necessary for us to learn from others' mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself."
               -- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover

[TN_LELT]

Drayer and Charlie Murphy, lets call a spade a spade.  We know who was really responsible for the Ike 2 PLT RM mechanics' success.  You guys should thank us ELT's for sending you guys "The Juice" so that he could impart his leadership skills on you guys just as he did us.  We were all fortunate to have such a mentor.

[Fermi2]

I maintain that the juice was both the best and worst chief I have ever seen. I would never say he was responsibile for anything above being one of the best shields of bull between the hours of 0700-0830 (aka when he may have been onboard).... However, if you wanted a good quotable for the rest of the day, he was the man. He also made us clean berthing for the first time in years. I remember the fine line in the floor between juice country and RM country where one side shined with made racks and the other looked a college dorm room post katrina.  I hope TN is working out well for you, unless your still teaching nubs....

Are you commercial or Navy?

[Cycoticpenguin]

"It is necessary for us to learn from others' mistakes. You will not live long enough to make them all yourself."
               -- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover

True, yes. However, we still need to overcome our own obstacles and learn from them. I never repeated a mistake twice.



Oh man, the juice.... 


Drayer, can you imagine having the juice in tandem with the "too-wide" and "chronic" shebang? haha...

AND I AM A NUB haha. I hope you go to a BWR so your brain can get scrambled... But lets be honest, you've been so far up logistics butt's, you've probably forgotten how to operate

[Fermi2]

Still Navy, although I am going to try and flip to the other side as soon as I am done with my time...

I asked because you used the term NUB. Don't confuse yourself you're still a NUB.

[Fermi2]

It wasn't an accusation it's a fact, and it wasn't meant to be mean.

[Cycoticpenguin]

It wasn't an accusation it's a fact, and it wasn't meant to be mean.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN MIKEY?!  Dont navy quals transfer to civilian plants? haha Im excited for his transition and the culture shock that follows.



anyway, yes, use and abuse that TA as much as you can. It will give you a firmer rock to stand on when you leave the navy.