We just got back home form Great lakes. Its was a great experience. My son graduated and will be doing his A school in Great Lakes. He definitely changed. But he still had his funny side to him. while talking to him I noticed a lot more respect but also noticed he still had his funny little quirks that he left with. I think that it good. I could tell by the way he was talking and some of the stories he told me that he deep down really enjoyed the boot camp.(Some what). We were walking back from the NEX after graduation and he never put his cover on. Some other kid yelled to him"hey Byrnes". my son waved at him and threw him a smile. the kid yelled back, "put your cover on" and started laughing. The panic in his his eyes with the nervous laugh made me laugh at him. Anyway we took him into Chicago to get some deep dish pizza. he was craving that for a long time. Went to Gino's. Good pizza. He was walking so rigid. I asked him what was wrong, he said he is trying not to get the sweat from his back to touch his shirt. Very funny. I asked him if he would get in trouble if a ranking officer saw that, he said probably not, but he just wanted to look good in the uniform. he was wearing his "peanut butters". I was impressed. All in all , it was a great trip. It was great seeing him.
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Excerpted, below, are some ideas I included in a letter to our son before he left for USN basic. Perhaps some other Navy Dad, or Navy Mom, will find some of this useful for your son or daughter.
There are three answers to any possible question in basic training and those three answers are: 1. Yes sir. 2. No sir. 3. No excuse, sir. If they want you to answer in some other way, they’ll tell you how to answer.
Have a sense of humor, but try not to show your sense of humor—in other words, laugh in your head, not out loud.
Keep your eyes and ears open, keep your mouth shut, except when asked a direct question, then refer to the three answers above. Hone your observational skills—listen, watch carefully, pay attention to your surroundings, be alert.
Do EXACTLY what you are told to do; lose the urge to interpret what orders you are given—chances are training orders will be quite explicit so do exactly what you are told to do. You will have to LISTEN CAREFULLY. In training, follow orders exactly as they are given because it is extremely unlikely that you will be told to do something that is illegal, immoral, or wrong—follow orders while in training. Later, the Navy will have many discussions with you about what constitutes a lawful, or legal, order and at those times you can ruminate on the nuances and complexities of orders.
Do not lie about ANYTHING; if you did something wrong, own up to it, take the punishment, and learn from the mistake—if you try to cover up for yourself or lie about what happened, you will get hammered by your training instructors. Furthermore, you will get pegged as an untrustworthy person and in the war-fighting business, trust is paramount. Think about it: Do you want to be in a combat situation with someone YOU don’t trust? Always tell the truth. Much of the training is designed to reveal your character (and to weed out s**tbirds)—demonstrate the fundamental goodness of your character.
Give all that you can give in everything that you do; even if you fail while trying your damndest, you will gain respect and you will be given another opportunity to succeed. If you do not give all that you are able to give and still manage to succeed, you will still get hammered by your instructors.
If you get seriously hurt, get medical help. Will you get “recycled” to another training rotation? Maybe, but at least you’ll be healthy enough to succeed in that rotation. Trying to complete training while seriously hurt, without medical help, is a no-win situation.
Lead when it is appropriate to do so; follow when it is appropriate to do so. Learn when to lead and when to follow.
Do not associate with the s**tbirds, the slackers, the complainers, the whiners, or those who don’t put out; stay away from them. . . .This is serious stuff—take it seriously.
Conduct yourself at all times as if you are being evaluated and judged, especially when you are NOT being evaluated and judged.
Treat every “test” as an opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned and to improve those things that need improvement.
Do not leave a comrade behind.
Work to ensure the success of the mission and the success of the team.
Don’t spread rumors and don’t believe rumors—rumors are almost always B.S.
Finally, use your brain before you go to basic—do some reading on warfare (naval, ground campaigns, insurgency/special operations, etc.). If this is to be your chosen profession for a while, or for a career, study, read, know some history, learn from other people’s mistakes and successes. Think about this, too: Can you list three reasons why you want to serve in this capacity? Can you list five reasons why you want to serve in this capacity? It’s not likely that you’ll be asked about this, but you had better know the why and the wherefore for your decisions and choices.
Hooyah to all Navy Dads.
My son graduated Boot Camp and A School. Due for deployment. He is single. Can he applied for me as dependent? How can we as parents avail of the benefit of purchasing items in Armed Forces Commisaries?
Need some opinions. Thanks a Lot.
Loreto Parrotina
Ok everyone, I was concerned that I did not get a call from my son about his graduation. But i just got home from my vacation and we had a bunch of letters in the mail from him. In one of the letters he said that he will be stationed in Norfolk Virginia and his ship is the USS T. Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier.So i guess that means he passed. Im new at this but i would think being on a carrier is probably pretty cool. Although he seems happy about the carrier but i think he is disappointed about being in Virginia. He wanted to go to California. Its good for us because we live in New York. Can anyone out there shed some light on this carrier thing. lol
If Any one was part of RTC Great Lakes Co. 058,and knows how to get the graduation album be kind and get in contact with me@ Https://www.facebook.com/eriklievanofernandez
Max: See below for a partial answer to your question in the chat-room.
Cryptologic Technicians control the flow of messages and information and also conduct Electronic Warfare. Their work depends on their special branch: CTAs or Administration Cryptologic Technicians (As of 01 OCT 07 CTA merged with the YN rating) perform administrative and clerical duties that control access to classified material. CTIs or Interpretive Cryptologic Technicians handle radiotelephone communications and foreign language translation. CTMs or Maintenance Cryptologic Technicians maintain electronic and electromechanical equipment. CTNs or Networking Cryptologic Technicians handle computer communication. CTRs or Collection Cryptologic Technicians handle all Morse code communications and operate radio direction-finding equipment. Finally, CTTs or Technical Cryptologic Technicians deal with Electronic Warfare. CTTs are the first line of defense against inbound threats and Anti-Ship missiles. They also collect, analyze, and provide electronic intelligence support to commands throughout the world.
Joe
My family and I are getting ready to make the trip to Great lakes on 08/23/2012. His graduation is on 08/24/2012. After graduation, my son will be staying on at Great Lakes for additional training. He had told me in an earlier phone call that he stays in Great lakes for another 3-4 weeks then comes home for 15 days. Does anyone know what we should bring him. Will he be allowed to have his cell phone, I pad and other electronic devices. Also should we bring him clothes. I don't want to lug all that crap if i don't have to.
my son, Greg Jr., is shipping out to Recruit Training on Sept 3rd...already my emotions are running wild..He'll be going to Engineman "a" school after that. Got to get used to being the Father of a Sailor in the United States Navy. That's all i can say right now. God Bless America
