Comment

Comment by NAVY-em's_Mom on December 21, 2012 at 2:54pm

I wanted to add a story that I found interesting.  The interview chair in Rickover's office had one leg shorter then the rest.  The candidate that sat in the chair was immediatley unbalanced for the whole duration of the interview.  Rickover was known to ask what I would consider as brutal questions. As it turned out, Rickover had selected that chair and wanted an unbalanced chair.  Think about that!  Even the smallest detail had meaning.

Comment by NAVY-em's_Mom on December 21, 2012 at 2:45pm

William in Nashua: What you said was very well spoken.  I absolutely believe that it is not random.  To ProudNavyMom, it may not matter, but it is interesting to discuss and attempt to solve the curiosity aspect of it, especially when so many people are saying it is random.  I would like to have more confidence in the Nuclear Navy then to think they are assigning critical job assignments like throwing a dart on the board.  I've read the biography of Admiral Rickover. He even hand selected and personally interviewed each and every officer for over a decade that was going to be involved in the Nuclear Navy.  Rickover imparted in the Nuclear Navy a tremendous attention to detail that lacked the randomness suggested by many people.

Comment by southcarolinamom(Nuke MM) on December 21, 2012 at 2:38pm

kayinaz...I agree, very well said. My son is just starting out in the Navy (PIR today infact) and will be nuke MM , thats IF he does well in school and passes everything and that is a big IF because I have been told it is very hard to keep up with the pace of the classes. My grandfather was in the Navy and he mostly cleaned the deck and for awhile cooked. I have the utmost respect for everyone in service, woman, man, black, white, hispanic, asian, married, single, parent, etc., It does not matter....the Navy should be a big family cuz guess what? When something happens and they all pull together to get their jobs done it wont matter who does what on the ship or sub all that will matter is that they do what they were taught and have each others back. My son actually did not WANT to join Nuke because he didnt want the "special" treatment. I would hope as a NEW NAVY MOM that my idea of this site wont change but continue to be what it was for me and other moms in the boot camp site which was a place for answers and support, we cheered each other on and gave a shoulder to cry on and celebrated with each accomplishment, nuke, cook, electronics, it does NOT MATTER....they are all equal in my eyes...they are our CHILDREN and FAMILY MEMBERS. Sorry Im ranting lol :)

Comment by Emily-aaronsgirl11 on December 21, 2012 at 1:21pm

Very, VERY well said kayinaz :)

The only thing I have to add... Nukes DO get special treatment. It's called double the amount of duty as everyone else, less time to spend in ports, first ones on the ship, last ones off the ship, and less leave time than the rest of the ship. 

It's not exactly the kind of special treatment that the guys like to brag about. :)

Comment by kayinaz on December 21, 2012 at 1:00pm

Everyone's kid is special to the parent and every sailor contributes in a critical way. They are all in the Navy and will all have to work extremely hard for very little pay.  Trust me - it's the commitment, determination and character of these young men and women that will make them "special" people in life and great leaders in the Navy, not ASVAB scores or job ratings. They will soon find out when they get to the fleet that Nuc's are not treated "more special" than the sailor scrubbing the floor (and if they expect special treatment they will probably not like life in the Navy).  Each and every job in the navy is critical and necessary. If you don't believe that then let your sailor go without pay from disbursing or food from the mess specialist.  They will soon find out that feeling "elite" will not get them very far with their "push button" leadership styles. Nuclear Power school is extremely tough and I'm extremely proud of the hard work my son has put in to get there and get through it. I'm proud of him for his service - no matter what job he would have chosen. Right now these young men and women have very little idea of the sacrifices they will make for the Navy but there will be sacrifices - no matter what the ASVAB score, the job or whether they're nuclear power or not.  How they handle the adversity and the sacrifices will determine who they are in life.

Comment by susank on December 21, 2012 at 12:07pm

We just got back from a dependent cruise on our son's sub. I just want to say one thing. It doesn't matter what anyone's job is or how they got there. They ALL work so hard that it is just plain pitiful!!!!! Everyone from those that are down on their hands and knees scrubbing the floor to the Captain on the bridge. It is a humbling experience!!!! God Bless every single one of them!!!!!

Comment by blackie123 on December 21, 2012 at 12:04pm

My SR (who I must brag on that she passed comps yesterday) says at one point or the other thet are exposed to the other ratings jobs during school. She is an MM and doesn't have a problem with it. They are all "nerds". I knew she'd fit in wherever when she actually made up her own chemistry joke before she left. lol

Comment by NancyJo (NNPTC) on December 21, 2012 at 11:38am

Penny, can't find the cycle 216 on navy moms, where is it?

Comment by William in Nashua on December 21, 2012 at 11:23am

This notion that selection of ET, EM or MM is by random chance, or that to get selected for ET means you are merely "lucky" -- well I am not buying any of that. My son told me at boot camp this is going back two years, during the first interview with the nuclear coordinator he said he wanted to be an ET. He had already been interviewed by nuke coordinator during DEP and said the same thing but now I am talking about the 2nd or 3rd week of boot camp. The Master Chief said something like well I don't see any problems with that. Then it was like 3 or 4 weeks later they were told what they got ... he got ET.

Now you have this program the hardest academic program in the Navy, every facet of their lives is controlled. This is a highly structured program. They are all carefully selected yet a huge percentage will fail to complete the training. There are 3 different ratings with wildly different job descriptions. One of them ET is the reactor operator that controls the nuclear fission inside the reactor -- out of 10 nukes 2 or by today's counts closer to 1, will become an ET.

But to conclude that in this most carefully contolled environment they select who does what job by random chance, liking picking names out of a hat? No way. That just flies in the face of reason. Otherwise why wait until after they have been at boot camp for weeks being poked and prodded and tested by the nuke program? If they were just going to roll the dice they could have rolled it the first day of boot camp. Maybe not even the nukes themselves know why they got picked for their rating but it was not dumb luck.

Comment by mn linda (nuke MM ELT Groton CT) on December 21, 2012 at 11:16am

A school for MM is 3 months (6 months for EM and ET), then they go on t-track until they start power school which is 6 months, then they go on grad hold until they start prototype which is 6 months.  Then they are done with schooling and assigned to a carrier or sub unless they are chosen to take ELT or welding classes, which is another 3 month class.

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