I need your help

[Dolphin]

I need your help.  I am a veteran of the US Air Force with two sons who are in their freshman and sophomore years in college.  Like many of their peers, it seems,  they spend inordinate number of hours playing games, going to parties, and just hanging out whenever possible when they are not in classrooms .  From what I saw they made passing grades on all of their courses including Honor Classes in Chemistry, Physics and Math Courses in high school.  I was hoping their grades would improve in college but that hasn't happened so far. They continue to be average students with average grades.  One is studying engineering and the other wants to teach art.  It has been very frustrating watching my boys underperform. 

Recently, my younger son, who is studying engineering, showed interest in serving in military and I advised him to talk to recruiters.  After discussing his interest with several recruiters, he took the ASVAB getting  98 and 262. His Navy Recruiter became very excited and wanted to sign him up for their Nuclear program.  My son showed interest and after much discussion we decided Navy's Nuke program may be the best opportunity for him.  With my enthusiastic endorsement and consent. he went through all the process of filling out forms and ordering his high school and college transcripts and was accepted into the program.  He passed his physical and was sworn in after signing a contract that promised him $11,000.00 Enlistment Bonus and he is scheduled to leave in April, 2015. 

My second son is very excited about this opportunity. 

My first son, who is one year older, showed some interest in joining the Navy as well and I advised the same.  He came back with a disappointing ASVAB score of 70 and 250, and his interest diminished immediately after finding out he couldn't join his brother in the Nuclear Program.  He did not want to go but after some encouragement from his dad, he agreed to see what the Navy could offer him.

He hasn't finalized the process yet. I believe he is waiting for me to give the final go ahead.

Since my sons showed interest in the Navy I have been reading some of your postings and I found them helpful in many ways. 

Well, here I am and I need your help.  Except for the usual Navy propaganda pamphlets, magazines, books, films and whatever is out there for the American public to see, I really don't know a thing about the Navy.  The first question that comes into my mind is: As an enlisted sailor how is his daily life?  As a 70 year old Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam, South Korea and Okinawa and retired from Law Enforcement career I have problem with spending 24 hours a day on a ship, 6 months or more at a time, I think.  I have never spent more than a few weeks on a ship in my life time and I just can't imagine life on a military ship 24 hours a day for any lengthy period of time.  Help me out, Please!!!  Tell me about the life my boys are going into!  Don't hold back anything.   

I am confident I am asking the right people.  I am not asking for a simple words like it is bad or it is good or asking any of you to decide for me.  It is tearing me apart because I don't know what to tell my FIRST SON because I really don't have enough information.  My #ONE concern: Safety and enjoyment of their lives on military ships and they are content and reasonably happy living and doing their jobs they are trained to do on a ship.  Any personal experiences would be appreciated.   

My wife tells me I must be getting really old because the guy she married over 40 years ago would never even think about posting a letter like this.   Thanks guys.

[Gamecock]

My Only advice would be to let your sons grow up and figure out things on their own.  If they want to know what they are getting into, please point them here, especially the one that has already signed up for nuke.  There is lots of information already available, if he cares to look.  

Cheers,

GC

[huskie]

To paraphrase Patton--I READ YOUR BOOK YOU POOR BASTARD!

I found your response very interesting but the truth is. . .it was non-responsive. . . and definitely not what I'd expect from an Expert.

Listen up, tell the truth and you can't go wrong. Share your experience. Isn't that why we are here?

Hi Ho Silver Away,
Huskie

[Marlin]

To paraphrase Patton--I READ YOUR BOOK YOU POOR BASTARD!

I found your response very interesting but the truth is. . .it was non-responsive. . . and definitely not what I'd expect from an Expert.

Listen up, tell the truth and you can't go wrong. Share your experience. Isn't that why we are here?

Hi Ho Silver Away,
Huskie

   Recommending his sons research their own information would seem to be the right response. The experience you cite can be gained through the multitude of posts already on Nukeworker, including many from Gamecock.

[huskie]

   Recommending his sons research their own information would seem to be the right response. The experience you cite can be gained through the multitude of posts already on Nukeworker, including many from Gamecock.

"

hmmmm... you say "would seem to be the right response". Do you honestly believe this elderly gentleman who is a "USAF veteran" and "retired law enforcement officer" didn't know that? I don't think I am wrong when I say this gentleman seems to be looking for any one out there with personal experience of working and living on a "military ship" for "any length of time." I have read many of your posts over the years and honestly this gentleman's post touched me. I also have sons and a family. I think I can understand what this gentleman is going through and knowing that I could not sit back and let you marginalize his heartfelt concerns with general non-responsive answers, no matter how you label it. Oh by the way, I haven't seen a single post describing the personal experience of a sailor's life as it truly is at sea on a military ship.

I stand by my original post above.

Hi Ho Silver Away
Huskie

[HydroDave63]

Oh by the way, I haven't seen a single post describing the personal experience of a sailor's life as it truly is at sea on a military ship.

searching "life aboard ship" in the Forum search bar yielded 2 pages of results.

[Marlin]

"

hmmmm... you say "would seem to be the right response". Do you honestly believe this elderly gentleman who is a "USAF veteran" and "retired law enforcement officer" didn't know that? I don't think I am wrong when I say this gentleman seems to be looking for any one out there with personal experience of working and living on a "military ship" for "any length of time." I have read many of your posts over the years and honestly this gentleman's post touched me. I also have sons and a family. I think I can understand what this gentleman is going through and knowing that I could not sit back and let you marginalize his heartfelt concerns with general non-responsive answers, no matter how you label it. Oh by the way, I haven't seen a single post describing the personal experience of a sailor's life as it truly is at sea on a military ship.

I stand by my original post above.

Hi Ho Silver Away
Huskie

   I am the Base commander for a SubVets chapter that has many veterans in his age category and much older (WWII vets). I am the Regional commander for 6 other chapters of SubVets. I am the Vice chair for a group trying to save a submarine as a museum. To say that I am insensitive to a veteran of any age shows your naivety. Gamecock gave him some very good advice if his sons are not interested enough to do some of the work on their own they are better off not entering these programs where they will not be spoon fed information.

   I stand by my reply.

[huskie]

searching "life aboard ship" in the Forum search bar yielded 2 pages of results.

Thank you for your input. When the original post first came up I looked through the forum which included many of the posts you found in your search. I found this information to be helpful in general because the information posted was "in general" concerning specific situations and concerns. However I was not able to find what this gentleman seemed to be looking for-- specifics of a"sailor's daily life" and the effects of "lengthy period of time" served at sea on a ship on his sons' "safety and enjoyment" of their lives on military ships and that they are "content and reasonably happy and doing their jobs they trained to do on a ship." I didn't see it searching through the forum. Its possible I might have missed it but if someone like me couldn't find it, how do you expect a 70 year old gentleman to find it? If its out there it would like finding a needle in haystack for a man of his age. He asked simple questions of personal experiences from this forum's readers.  That's all. Is it so difficult and time consuming that you really don't want to help this gentleman?

Without meaning to be argumentative I am beginning to be convinced that my original post applies here. Otherwise why are we having this discussion.

Hi Ho Silver Away
Huskie

[huskie]

   ...his sons are not interested enough to do some of the work on their own they are better off not entering these programs where they will not be spoon fed information.

Read the post from Dolphin. You totally missed the point. It is this gentleman who wants to know--for himself. I see a man who is torn because he doesn't know as he stated through out his post and he is bothered by it. If I see it, why can't you?

Therefore I stand by my original post.

FYI-I served with the 3rd Marine Division in South Vietnam. I emphasize with anyone who is sending their children into the military. This is to let you know where I'm coming from.

Hi Ho Silver Away.
Huskie

[HydroDave63]

Help me out, Please!!!  Tell me about the life my boys are going into!  Don't hold back anything. 

https://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,17568.msg98984.html#msg98984

is a highly informative post from a fellow that went the pipeline not all that long ago, with a ton of links to other posts with more information. Once you have gone through all of them, let us know what specifics we can answer!

[Marlin]

Read the post from Dolphin. You totally missed the point. It is this gentleman who wants to know--for himself. I see a man who is torn because he doesn't know as he stated through out his post and he is bothered by it. If I see it, why can't you?

Therefore I stand by my original post.

FYI-I served with the 3rd Marine Division in South Vietnam. I emphasize with anyone who is sending their children into the military. This is to let you know where I'm coming from.

Hi Ho Silver Away.
Huskie

No I got it, I also got your adversarial tone. Post should be helpful.

He hasn't finalized the process yet. I believe he is waiting for me to give the final go ahead.

My Only advice would be to let your sons grow up and figure out things on their own.  If they want to know what they are getting into, please point them here, especially the one that has already signed up for nuke.  There is lots of information already available, if he cares to look. 

Still seems appropriate to me.

[Marlin]

I need your help. 

Very sorry that this thread took such a negative vector away from your original post. I hope Dave's post has all the info you need.

[Dolphin]

THANK YOU.

You guys really made me feel old.

God bless you all.

[Marlin]

THANK YOU.

You guys really made me feel old.

God bless you all.

I'm not that much younger and few of us are your age. Thanx for posting here.

[Rennhack]

Dolphin & Huskie come from the same IP address (near Dayton Ohio), both share the same ISP (Time Warner) and email provider (aol).  Huskies email address has "momma bear" in it.

I believe 'Huskie' may be misrepresenting herself. 

However, we are not here to argue with the parents of nuclear hopefuls.  How do you think that makes the site look?  Like a bunch of jackasses.  They baited you, and you took the bait. Lets close this post and move on.  Next time try to be more PC in your advice.  The world isn't full of people conditioned with the military mindset, its more 'fluffy teddy bears'.  As Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men "They can't handle the truth".  In the future, please try to present your information in the kindest way you are able to. If confronted with how terrible you are for your advice, (the bait), do not take the bait.  Just ignore the thread and move on.  They were given their answer.  Continuing on about who was right and who was wrong on an internet forum is not going to help anyone, It just makes us look like a bunch of Broadzillas.  I don't want that, and either do you.

Bottom line: Don't argue with Momma Bear. aka Annabelle.

This thread is now locked.

[Marlin]

Dolphin & Huskie come from the same IP address, both share the same ISP and email provider.  Huskies email address has "momma bear" in it.

Don't argue with Momma Bear.

Very sad, anonymity and shield of the net makes for pseudo bravery, but this is not the first time nor will it be the last.