Q:What can you tell me about 'sea tours' and / or ship assignments? How long do they last? Are you assigned to a ship with a home port of wherever, and you are sometimes in port and frequently out to sea doing whatever, for however long?
A:Well, I’ve heard two different things here. It’s either ship assignments are 3 years and shore assignments are 2 years or vice versa. Ships typically have a homeport, like you said, and go out to sea for periods of time. Your recruiter may have told you that there is a “6 month rotation.” I would not take his/her word for it. I’ve learned that every ship has a different schedule and some spend a lot more time at sea than others. Various factors may affect this (decommissioning, etc). I would count on occasional tours of 6 months or more and a number of smaller trips lasting 2 weeks to a couple of months.
Q:I understand that everyone will do a sea tour. Does that sound right to you? One of the recruiters here advised taking a sea tour first, to jump start one's career (if we make a career in the Navy).
A:As a general rule, I believe this is true. However, I have heard of some people not going to sea in their first 5 years. Your recruiter gave you great advice about going to sea first – especially as an AC. Whether you want to make a career out of the Navy or not, it’s a good idea. At sea you can get air warfare (AW) and sea warfare (SW) qualified. This will help you gain rank faster. The bonus to this (besides pay and seniority) is this: Once you DO go to a shore station you will have rank over all of the E-1 through E-4 personell. You will take priority when getting qualified for all of the different AC positions (great for FAA!). If you want to make a career out of the Navy, I can almost guarantee that you will not make Chief (E-7) without AW or SW ship quals. I’ve also heard it can be difficult to get orders to a ship after your first 5 years or so. I would have jumped on ship orders, but my only option was an LHA. They mainly carry helicopters and a few harriers. I thought my time would be best spent at Whidbey Island.
Q:Do you know where I can get an idea of the possible assignment locations that could come up?
A:Here is a link to Naval Air Stations. Any that start with NAS are possiblities. However, keep in mind that the Navy is undergoing a mass reorganization and some stations are closing/closed (i.e. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba). Also, here is a list of homeports and ships that are stationed out of each. Look for ships starting with CV (carriers) or LH (amphibious). These are the most likely ships for you to be stationed on.
Q:I think you mentioned that you are married? How is that working out for your wife? Is she in WA area, or back at your home, preparing to move to WA, where you'll be stationed? And you'll be there for 3 years?
A:Yes, I was married. However, things didn’t work out so well after I joined the Navy. I don’t think she was really prepared for what things were going to be like after I left. I’m on my own now, but the plan was to have her move to my duty station with me. One thing to keep in mind: If married, you will likely be limited to orders within the US (no overseas). This does not exclude you from ship assignments, though.
Q:It seems like you went directly to FL from boot camp. People are telling me to drive to FL if at all possible (which will be at the discretion of the commanding officers and whenever my school starts, since my home is in PA.). Do you find being in FL without a car a disadvantage?
A:Yes, unlike some recruiters may advertise, there is no leave between boot camp and A school. You will be flown directly to Pensacola. Many people have families drive their cars down if and when they come to visit. I found it difficult not having a car. I spent a lot of money in taxi fees. It’s always nice to get off base when you can. At the same time, beware: if you have a car here, you will soon become everyone’s best friend!
Q:Did you have your wife ship you things to FL? Someone told me to pack some stuff to have sent to me in FL in case I can't get home, and I'm wondering what that should be (civilian clothing, cell phone, etc.)?
A:Great idea! This was my plan as well, but everything was so rushed before I left, I ran out of time. You will surely want clothes once they allow you to go out in civilian clothes (civies). Calling cards really add up – a cell phone is a great idea - just make sure you have a national calling plan or get your home calling area changed. The only other suggestion I would make would be pictures or trinkets from home. Even with so many people on base, it can be very lonsome at times. It’s always nice to have something to remind you of home. I would pack the box before you leave. As soon as you arrive in Pensacola, you can call home and give them the address. You will be leaps and bounds ahead of your shipmates.
Q:I wear contact lenses. I don't know if you know if people in the fleet can wear them, or it's a glasses only thing?
A:I know that they won’t let you wear you contacts at boot camp. You will be issued a very attractive pair of BC’s (birth control glasses). Once you’re in the fleet, though, I don’t think it’s an issue. I can’t say for sure, but I haven’t heard of anyone in the schoolhouse having problems with them.
Q:I think you mentioned planning to serve your term and then go to the FAA to be a civilian controller. Is that right? That would probably be my plan as well, especially being a female, if I want to have a family, etc.
A:That’s the plan right now. I’ve haven’t seen this in writing, but I’ve heard from many people that the FAA has an age cutoff at 31 years old. Meaning that they won’t hire you if you’re older than that. I’m pushing it as I will be 30 after my enlistment is up. The other alternative is to make a career out of the Navy and retire. The FAA has some sort of program to pick up retired military controllers. I think there is a minimum number of years you have to put in the military first, though. I still need to research all of this more, though. I’ve only heard by word of mouth. Edit: After replying with this answer, she was kind enough to respond back with the following info - "I've done a bit (a tiny bit) of research on the military to FAA situation,and the FAA cutoff is 30 or 31, but they do supposedly make an exception for prior military. And I think when they say 'retired' they mean being on terminal leave (which I believe is having completed your commitment and honorably discharged, not necessarily having served 20 years.) I was especially concerned for myself, since I'm entering the military at 30.I'm looking at the faa.gov site now and I called their number (1-866-835-5322), but I just got a menu that doesn't mention anything about age." ***EDIT 07/14/2011*** I've stated this in more recent posts, but just to avoid any confusion: Prospective employees are ineligible for hire by the FAA after their 31st birthday. If you receive a Tentative Offer Letter prior to your 31st birthday, all is good. The exception is for retired military controllers (20 years active duty or more) under the Pheonix 20 program. Also, if you were hired by the DoD as a controller prior to your 31st birthday, you can cross over to the FAA later on without an issue.
