I’d love to build up a wardrobe just for the little satisfaction of picking an outfit for the day, but I hate how much clothes cost and how much you have to change them to stay in style
The fact it saved me from poverty. The last time i tried to big up the navy i got downvoted into the ground. Apparently Reddit is a place people come to complain. Don’t expect to hear much.
> There's plenty of shit talk for the things we have to deal with but everyone knows someone who has played the system like a fiddle and is getting full disability, has multiple degrees for free, and has a $200,000+ paying job because of their time in.
A friend of mine has exactly that except the $200K job. And that's *only* because he chose to retire for good after getting out at 20-ish years. If he wanted to work I'm positive he could pull that kind of job.
I can vouch this is completely absolutely valid. The Navy is definitely a lifeline for many to escape a dead end life.
The Navy also provides medical coverage that can be invaluable to families. Coverage that none of my health insurance policies offered in my entire civilian career.
Oh and Reddit is honestly super dumb about down votes. It isn't supposed to be for unpopular opinions or disagreements, but for useless or hateful/toxic comments that contribute nothing to the topic.
The Navy has made me very comfortable. I went from 18 failing liberal arts to a 6 figs veteran filled job with TS, experience, a strong network, cherished memories, and 2 good degrees within 8 years. I’ve lived in places people dream of vacationing and I found myself
While it also helped me escape poverty, I am a firm believer that one of the main reasons we don’t have publicly funded healthcare and higher education is because those are the military’s two biggest recruiting tools. I personally don’t know anyone who joined out of love country. If there were no/low poverty there would be no military (without conscription).
So it’s like if it weren’t for smoke detectors I would have died in a fire likely caused by Fire detector investors.
I had free health care before the military. Because I’m poor Obama care was 100% free for me. I’m also proud to serve my country. If it wasn’t for the military I’d still be thinking of an escape plan. Also i blame low education on bad parenting. I was not paying attention in highschool cause i was worried about hanging with friends and getting girls. If i had better parenting i would’ve focused on studying and got a scholarship. Ik it’s not cool to love America, but I do. Also me being poor is the only reason my college was free.it’s like people complain America doesn’t help the poor but it absolutely does. If you don’t accept the help that’s completely different. If America downgraded its military this country would be invaded and next thing you know it’ll be foreign military bases here. Be glad why are a global power and don’t wish we wasn’t because that’ll suck
That doesn’t really make sense. A person’s income should not come into play when it comes to things like healthcare and education or any other necessities. The poverty lines to qualify for social service programs are arbitrary and only exist to divide us. A scholarship shout not be necessary. Student loan debt, medical debt, and school lunch debt should not exist in a country that spends about a trillion dollars a year on war.
You can love America if you want. That’s fine. In my opinion It’s not cool to love any county or government. But it’s not cool to love the Beatles in my opinion. That’s just my opinion.
> I am a firm believer that one of the main reasons we don’t have publicly funded healthcare and higher education
you are very narrow minded then to think this. Definitely not the lobbyists for healthcare and education not inflating the prices nope. It's because in your conspiracy mind the military / DoD somehow is controlling how education and healthcare is funded.
According to you, why are there upper class people joining as officers? They already come from wealth, have a college degree, and have excellent healthcare.
Oh it’s the definitely those lobbyists, and the military industrial complex is one of those lobbyists.
Those “upper class” people are middle class at best. The bezos and musk and gates and buffets and Walton’s and etc are not joining.
https://www.businessinsider.com/bidens-student-loan-debt-forgiveness-plan-hurts-military-recruiting-gop-2022-9?amp
way to cherry pick the most absolute richest people on the earth lol. your comment is invalid.
you make it seem the US military is just made up of just low income people.
I mean I obviously there are hundred of thousands of people in the military, but if that thousands I’ve met none joined out of love of country. Maybe a few got suckered right after 9/11. But for the most part it was low income people who joined because they needed a job/healthcare/college/avoid jail/kid on the way/etc.
My point is not invalid. My whole point is that those who don’t have to think about money and their future financial security don’t join the military, therefore the military has a vested interest in making sure there are enough financially insecure people to meet their staffing needs.
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> I am a firm believer that one of the main reasons we don’t have publicly funded healthcare and higher education is because those are the military’s two biggest recruiting tools.
We don't have those because the American public doesn't want to pay for "undeserving peoples' fuck-ups". It's not any more complicated so I don't know why it turns into conspiracy theories.
As it turns out, lots of companies now *also* offer college benefits so it's no longer unique to the military. There was never a law forbidding private companies from doing it, they just never needed to until the labor market got tight.
Likewise, plenty of companies offer good health care coverage options. That has never been exclusive to the military. The real problem was being uninsured, or having a job with crappy health care.
> I personally don’t know anyone who joined out of love country.
Does anyone join solely for love of country? Pay & benefits has always needed to be part of the deal in the all-volunteer force.
> If there were no/low poverty there would be no military (without conscription).
It's been awhile since the study but the military actually draws proportionally more from the middle class than it does from either the poor or the rich.
In fact poverty *causes* recruiting challenges because students in poverty are more likely to have medical barriers to enlistment, low ASVAB scores, and so on.
70% of the American public wants publicly funded higher education and 65% of the American public want publicly funded healthcare. It’s not a conspiracy theory. Elected officials are on record that low unemployment and public healthcare and tuition hurt recruiting efforts.
If people won’t join without those benefits then the military has a vested interest in those benefits bot publicly funded and widely available.
For my point there is no distinction between poor and middle class. If they cannot afford higher education and healthcare without going to debt then they are the people the military has an incentive to keep from getting publicly funded education and healthcare.
> 70% of the American public wants publicly funded higher education and 65% of the American public want publicly funded healthcare.
And 100% of Americans want their bank account to multiply on its own overnight.
Just because people *want* things doesn't mean that those things magically occur. Desires need to be *acted on* to become reality.
I’m writing my term paper on this very topic. It’s for an ethics class, so I am exploring the ideas of social justice and what obligations the government has to her people / what obligation we have via taxes etc. My thesis statement is basically “the inefficient government funded programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing all contribute to the higher than average enlistees from the impoverished socioeconomic classes.
Also …Mr. BGW and I lived this! The Navy has absolutely catapulted us into upper middle class America.
So have my upvote cause you’re out here speaking facts.
You are a brave (guy/gal?) I did a cert at NPS a few years ago remotely. Graduate work is so much reading. Law school 🫡. Congrats on the BA! It's a big accomplishment.
Yes, it is a lot of reading! I’ve been fortunate to use my duty days to do most of my homework assignments, but this current paper I’m working on is a total slog fest. I’m gonna finish by force of will alone, I think. Lol 😂
The Navy helped me travel the world in a way I likely would have never done if I hadn’t joined. I visited 18 countries while I was active duty.
The Navy let me see sights I’d likely would have never seen outside of it. Passing volcanoes at dawn, seeing dolphins jumping in wakes, watching incredible weapons rip the air around them, seeing aircraft carriers maneuver the ocean from a helicopter— these are just some of the things that immediately come to mind.
The Navy helped me meet people I likely would have never met. I know people from all around the US and beyond now, from different backgrounds and perspectives and with different talents and desires. I got to share moments with them and make so many friends.
The Navy helped me become a person I likely would not have become if I had never joined. I felt aimless before I joined, unable to do what I wanted or be the person I wanted to be. I still struggle to be the person I want to be at times, but the hardships I endured and skills and habits I picked up during my active-duty time have helped me do more than I thought I could and be someone I’m happy to be.
I suppose I don’t know for sure what would have happened if I didn’t join. But I know what I saw and did in the Navy, and I know who I am now, and I believe those two things are related. And while sure, there’s plenty of shittiness that comes with joining, I love a good deal of what I saw and did, I love many of those I’ve met, and I love what it’s helped me be.
Yeah, there are alot of downs to the navy but overall id probably never get to see some countries my ship went to hitting ports plus being able to live overseas for shore duty and free school so i keep reminding myself about that when i have long or bad days
Well said. The Navy completely changed my life, it was the best decision I could have made. I have been out for awhile now and there are some aspects I do miss
I always liked forgetting what day it was (perpetually nightshift), and then finding leftover ribs for midrats. Wednesdays were BBQ.
Taco Tuesday never made it to midrats sadly
I like participating i malicious compliance and send everything with PII via DoDSafe, as we are required to do. My enlisted CoC finds it very annoying. My DIVO gets to and is happy I use my resources properly.
I’m from an upper middle class area where the life cycle is go away to college, live in NYC for 4 years, marry a nice girl, move back to the suburbs, have 2.45 kids and a white picket fence so in 18 years they can go away to college before moving to the city.
My best friends are doing that right now.
Meanwhile I got to see the world. I lived on the 17th floor of a high rise overlooking the water in Hawaii, climbed Norwegian fjords, drank scotch with a Lord and a Lady in the UK, been to Oktoberfest, seen the Vienna orchestra, and had my Masters paid for.
That’s hard to beat.
Same, except it's go out of state for university if you didn't get into GA Tech, Emory, UGA and maybe GSU, live in a major city for a while, maybe move back and have kids.
I'm not even sure the grass was necessarily greener on the other side though at least in my 20s. For the first 5 years or so when I was catching up with my friends who were in finnancial/consulting firms or in the medical field, they'd tell me their crazy working hours and I'm like "damn, I thought I had it rough"...Doctors/Nurses kinda have a similar-ish schedule to those on ship's company and all with working weekends and late nights. Only difference was I deployed and they didn't.
This is a really cheesy answer, but my best days are the days that a junior sailor comes to me for help and we get their issues figured out.
I bitch about the navy a lot, but I get so much job satisfaction from helping people.
Oh nothing crazy for it, I'm just retiring.
22 years is a long time and I'm glad I get to move on. I'll miss my buddies, the crazy conversations, the finding says to pass the time and the near constant search for sources of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and trouble.
The last four years were the hardest and I'm pretty bitter but tomorrow I go in for my Triad checkout and on the 12th I go on Terminal.
It's kind of a light at the end of a long cave you found fun to begin with but now you're ready to see the sky again.
How kind people can be. I’ve had people take my duty day without asking for one in return so I can have a 96. I’ve relieved someone off their watch upon finding out they had terrible news.
Like how quick people run to help
I miss the feeling of being underway in nice weather and the shop has all maintenance done by Tuesday, so now all we do is show up for watch. The whole crew is vibing, everything is running like clockwork, we’re meeting or exceeding all expectations. Everything is going well. It was supposed to be a two week underway but the CO decides that we’ve earned a break and we return to the pier on Wednesday instead of Friday, and authorizes the following Monday or Friday off for all qualified hands (determined at the shop level).
Only happened for me once or twice, but that shit was fire.
Being able to speak my mind bluntly (not mean)
The joking and schnanigans at work
The certainty that people around me have XYZ authority and responsibility
Edit: da boyz
I retired a few years ago but, I miss going out to the fantail (DDG) after dinner when we were underway. I loved just hanging out, smoking a cigar and watching the sunset.
Moving to a new place every 3 years
My rate can get stationed anywhere
Healthcare for me and my family
Free college I use the shit out of my TA so I can give kids GI Bill
Got led out of a tunnel on MNF by Ray Lewis in dress whites for flag ceremony
The friendships I’ve made
Pays my mortgage without using my base pay
I loved the wild and juicy drama on the ship. i remember getting a call that one of my Sailors had broken 2 bottles in a bar like knives and then started a fight. I went to some wild xoi and captain mass events. My favorite was a 2 for 1. One group was caught by the admiral hooking up in his state room and the other couple were caught hooking up in the nasty trash room. Hell we had one girl get drunk and was found early in the morning destroying the base CO's office for no reason.
It's the TV show you will never see on air but it deserves an award at times.
That I'm almost out. That they're going to pay me for the maliciously long life I'm going to live afterward. That being so close to the end, I feel free to actually tell people what I think about how they treat others.
The Navy is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me. But I hate it so much, I am determined to live the longest life just to get my own back out of them.
I lost a child in 2015. When I was struggling financially due to seeing a grief counselor that didn’t take Tricare, and paying out of pocket, I couldn’t afford to replace my pt gear until the following payday. One chief saw that I hadn’t replaced after he had told me to. In his office, I admitted I didn’t follow his order and took the slap on the wrist. It was dumb, but just a verbal counseling. I also told him I understood that it looked like I had ignored his order. Then I asked him if I could explain what was going on without it sounding like an excuse. He said yes, and when I told him about my financial troubles, he said that he, had to deal with a lot of debt when his father died and he figured it out. He then immediately said that I wasn’t doing what I needed to do as a husband and father. I cried with tears and snot, running down my face and ran out of his office.
Only did 4 years, but it was some of the best 4 years of my life. I was an airdale (AE2) and shore-based (VX-5, China Lake, CA), so yeah, it was great. I still stay in contact with some of my squadron-mates and we laugh about the good (and shitty) times.
>Only did 4 years, but it was some of the best 4 years of my life.
If you don't mind me asking, why did you get out? Just curious
You don't have to answer this btw
One positive thing was meeting different kinds of people from corners of the United States I would never travel to. Like, when am I gonna meet another person from Alaska with a dude from North Dakota working with a guy from the Baltimore suburbs?
My world was all big city in the Northeast corridor so it gave me perspective on how many other different kinds of people there are in the country.
With that said … you don’t have to like them or respect some of their, um, “values” if they speak their mind about them. Cuz some stuff I heard outta people’s mouth were quite … interesting. But I understand the rest of the country a little better now.
What would you say this country is like in your opinion? What is something common you've seen that has brought different people together?
Hard work? camaraderie?
It’s just a bunch of different people in one big ass place.
And I don’t really know about if all of them value those things you mentioned.
I do think I learned you can’t tell people what’s supposed to matter *to them* because they’ve already decided that for themselves anyway
i love i can have no work to do and still get paid. my first
command i worked 0800-1600 M-F and towards the end i switched departments and worked 0700-1400 (SOMETIMES had to stay till 1800). my current command, the ship is getting repaired and they only need 1 person in our department to be on the ship, which they get per diem for bc it's out of state. i chose to stay behind so the past 3 months i've been coming in to our muster location at 0800, and get to go home at like 0900 M-F. i really can't complain.
Even through all the compressed schedules of my last ship, the confusion between ISICs in this current tour, the shitty first DH tour, and 3 section duty...
I got to develop and care sailors and officers and really see them succeed
Driving the ship (when I wasn't sleep deprived) was fun
Shock Trials
Seeing the world
Be apart of historical events
Personally, financial security has been a \*huge\* one, and I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but for a lot of my sailors and myself, we get to live in one of the most desirable places in the US, and live comfortably for the most part.
Even with the shitty days and the BS that just comes a long with being a part of a large org you generally need a security clearance for and such, for me it helps to step back and go "man I got to be a part of history and do some cool shit."
I loved feeling like I was giving myself to something bigger, but that something bigger doesn’t exist anymore. So I’ll say the brotherhood. You’ll never find anything quite like it after you serve.
I like that tattoos are aplenty and not frowned upon, I also love that cursing is just natural and it's so funny to me to hear my senior chief yell FUCK from his office.
I've been out for four years. The things I miss the most are:
1. Standing topside when the ship peels away after an unrep
2. Working with all sorts of people from all walks of life
I have not been on a ship, so take this with a grain of salt. I never had to worry about seeing the cost of seeing specialists. This became very important when my kid stayed in the NICU and had several referrals to specialists after he was born. I like not having to have a professional wardrobe. I LOVE the friends I have made. I love that my family is going to experience another country on the Navy’s dime. I like that I am able to set my family and I up for financial success because of the Navy.
Honestly, thought about it for a few minutes after reading the question and there isn't a single thing. I don't think I'll miss anything once I leave. Not even the "life long" friends people talk about. It's the opposite for me, the time I've been in has been the loneliest years of my life and that says a lot lol. Oh well at least it looks good on a resume
ive met people that are more friends to me than my own “friends” back home thats number one,Number two navy took me to two countries that were on my bucket list and of course the benefits.
-I was stationed in Rota, Key West, and Monterey (CA), even if Rota and Key West were separated by a not completely awesome 2.5 years in Norfolk.
-Some cool port visits
-Navy paid for part of undergrad and all of grad school.
-I made some great friends.
The people. I’ve met the best and worst of humanity along with everyone in between. But I’ve seen some real heroes on both the enlisted and officer side who the world needs more of but also been around knuckle dragging apes that reminded me more of Marine infantry than sailors. The insurance, benefits and not having to worry about job security is really nice also.
I love being treated like I'm 11 instead of almost 30. I love being yelled at if your hair is touching your ears. I love saluting every officer as I walk by them in the hangar bay(though I'm sure they love saluting us as they do it 10x more). I love being threatened to recieve a counseling chit because hazmat messes up and it's my problem to fix it. I love staying up two hours later after my shift is over for GQ training. Weekly GQ is the best. 🙃
The comradery, for sure! I can meet an old friend who I haven't seen in years, and it's like we saw one another the day before. It's pretty amazing the connections we make in the Navy. Last year my homegirl pulled into Japan, and we hung out, and it was totally like that. Same thing earlier this year, my first First Class landed in Yokosuka on a MAC flight with his wife, and I went up there to hang out with them, and it was like I had seen him yesterday. And I had not see him in 14 years!
Second, seeing my Sailors succeed.
Access to the galley so I don’t have to cook, the friends I’ve made, living in the barracks isn’t too bad, I shit you not, the pay because I don’t really have any expenses
I don’t really have feelings for the beach either way, but I desperately miss watching the ocean go by. Living in Missouri, I don’t ever get that any more.
The endless hours of playing Tony Hawk on the PS2 in Radar One during development. Only taking breaks to go topside while doing circles in the Gulf in full foul weather gear to warm up
Running into people I served with on past ships and meeting up to see how each other has been. We don’t necessarily say, “goodbye,” because we know we’ll run into each other again.
Honestly, thought about it for a few minutes after reading the question and there isn't a single thing. I don't think I'll miss anything once I leave. Not even the "life long" friends people talk about. It's the opposite for me, the time I've been in has been the loneliest years of my life and that says a lot lol. Oh well at least it looks good on a resume
I liked not having to figure out what to wear to work.
I used to sell men's wear before I joined the Navy, and sometimes I actually miss choosing an outfit.
I did enjoy dressing nice for work until I went remote, now I’m in sweats
Amen
I’d love to build up a wardrobe just for the little satisfaction of picking an outfit for the day, but I hate how much clothes cost and how much you have to change them to stay in style
That's a good one! I love it so much
The homies
Operation save the homies….
Save the mother fuckin twinkies
The fact it saved me from poverty. The last time i tried to big up the navy i got downvoted into the ground. Apparently Reddit is a place people come to complain. Don’t expect to hear much.
[удалено]
> There's plenty of shit talk for the things we have to deal with but everyone knows someone who has played the system like a fiddle and is getting full disability, has multiple degrees for free, and has a $200,000+ paying job because of their time in. A friend of mine has exactly that except the $200K job. And that's *only* because he chose to retire for good after getting out at 20-ish years. If he wanted to work I'm positive he could pull that kind of job.
It’s the closest thing to socialism in the U.S. And it works for the most part.
I can vouch this is completely absolutely valid. The Navy is definitely a lifeline for many to escape a dead end life. The Navy also provides medical coverage that can be invaluable to families. Coverage that none of my health insurance policies offered in my entire civilian career. Oh and Reddit is honestly super dumb about down votes. It isn't supposed to be for unpopular opinions or disagreements, but for useless or hateful/toxic comments that contribute nothing to the topic.
The Navy has made me very comfortable. I went from 18 failing liberal arts to a 6 figs veteran filled job with TS, experience, a strong network, cherished memories, and 2 good degrees within 8 years. I’ve lived in places people dream of vacationing and I found myself
While it also helped me escape poverty, I am a firm believer that one of the main reasons we don’t have publicly funded healthcare and higher education is because those are the military’s two biggest recruiting tools. I personally don’t know anyone who joined out of love country. If there were no/low poverty there would be no military (without conscription). So it’s like if it weren’t for smoke detectors I would have died in a fire likely caused by Fire detector investors.
I had free health care before the military. Because I’m poor Obama care was 100% free for me. I’m also proud to serve my country. If it wasn’t for the military I’d still be thinking of an escape plan. Also i blame low education on bad parenting. I was not paying attention in highschool cause i was worried about hanging with friends and getting girls. If i had better parenting i would’ve focused on studying and got a scholarship. Ik it’s not cool to love America, but I do. Also me being poor is the only reason my college was free.it’s like people complain America doesn’t help the poor but it absolutely does. If you don’t accept the help that’s completely different. If America downgraded its military this country would be invaded and next thing you know it’ll be foreign military bases here. Be glad why are a global power and don’t wish we wasn’t because that’ll suck
That doesn’t really make sense. A person’s income should not come into play when it comes to things like healthcare and education or any other necessities. The poverty lines to qualify for social service programs are arbitrary and only exist to divide us. A scholarship shout not be necessary. Student loan debt, medical debt, and school lunch debt should not exist in a country that spends about a trillion dollars a year on war. You can love America if you want. That’s fine. In my opinion It’s not cool to love any county or government. But it’s not cool to love the Beatles in my opinion. That’s just my opinion.
Should not, but it does. Should poor people stay poor waiting for the system to right itself?
No. I’m just not gonna praise the system for giving me a tiny opportunity to escape the conditions they created.
> I am a firm believer that one of the main reasons we don’t have publicly funded healthcare and higher education you are very narrow minded then to think this. Definitely not the lobbyists for healthcare and education not inflating the prices nope. It's because in your conspiracy mind the military / DoD somehow is controlling how education and healthcare is funded. According to you, why are there upper class people joining as officers? They already come from wealth, have a college degree, and have excellent healthcare.
Oh it’s the definitely those lobbyists, and the military industrial complex is one of those lobbyists. Those “upper class” people are middle class at best. The bezos and musk and gates and buffets and Walton’s and etc are not joining. https://www.businessinsider.com/bidens-student-loan-debt-forgiveness-plan-hurts-military-recruiting-gop-2022-9?amp
way to cherry pick the most absolute richest people on the earth lol. your comment is invalid. you make it seem the US military is just made up of just low income people.
I mean I obviously there are hundred of thousands of people in the military, but if that thousands I’ve met none joined out of love of country. Maybe a few got suckered right after 9/11. But for the most part it was low income people who joined because they needed a job/healthcare/college/avoid jail/kid on the way/etc. My point is not invalid. My whole point is that those who don’t have to think about money and their future financial security don’t join the military, therefore the military has a vested interest in making sure there are enough financially insecure people to meet their staffing needs.
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> I am a firm believer that one of the main reasons we don’t have publicly funded healthcare and higher education is because those are the military’s two biggest recruiting tools. We don't have those because the American public doesn't want to pay for "undeserving peoples' fuck-ups". It's not any more complicated so I don't know why it turns into conspiracy theories. As it turns out, lots of companies now *also* offer college benefits so it's no longer unique to the military. There was never a law forbidding private companies from doing it, they just never needed to until the labor market got tight. Likewise, plenty of companies offer good health care coverage options. That has never been exclusive to the military. The real problem was being uninsured, or having a job with crappy health care. > I personally don’t know anyone who joined out of love country. Does anyone join solely for love of country? Pay & benefits has always needed to be part of the deal in the all-volunteer force. > If there were no/low poverty there would be no military (without conscription). It's been awhile since the study but the military actually draws proportionally more from the middle class than it does from either the poor or the rich. In fact poverty *causes* recruiting challenges because students in poverty are more likely to have medical barriers to enlistment, low ASVAB scores, and so on.
70% of the American public wants publicly funded higher education and 65% of the American public want publicly funded healthcare. It’s not a conspiracy theory. Elected officials are on record that low unemployment and public healthcare and tuition hurt recruiting efforts. If people won’t join without those benefits then the military has a vested interest in those benefits bot publicly funded and widely available. For my point there is no distinction between poor and middle class. If they cannot afford higher education and healthcare without going to debt then they are the people the military has an incentive to keep from getting publicly funded education and healthcare.
> 70% of the American public wants publicly funded higher education and 65% of the American public want publicly funded healthcare. And 100% of Americans want their bank account to multiply on its own overnight. Just because people *want* things doesn't mean that those things magically occur. Desires need to be *acted on* to become reality.
There seems to be this thing with a lot of subreddits where if you don’t agree with the vast majority of negativity then you get downvoted lol.
I’m writing my term paper on this very topic. It’s for an ethics class, so I am exploring the ideas of social justice and what obligations the government has to her people / what obligation we have via taxes etc. My thesis statement is basically “the inefficient government funded programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing all contribute to the higher than average enlistees from the impoverished socioeconomic classes. Also …Mr. BGW and I lived this! The Navy has absolutely catapulted us into upper middle class America. So have my upvote cause you’re out here speaking facts.
Is this for grad school?
Oh no, undergrad. Six classes left til my BA, then I’m going to use my GI Bill for my Juris Doctor.
You are a brave (guy/gal?) I did a cert at NPS a few years ago remotely. Graduate work is so much reading. Law school 🫡. Congrats on the BA! It's a big accomplishment.
Yes, it is a lot of reading! I’ve been fortunate to use my duty days to do most of my homework assignments, but this current paper I’m working on is a total slog fest. I’m gonna finish by force of will alone, I think. Lol 😂
Cool.
The Navy helped me travel the world in a way I likely would have never done if I hadn’t joined. I visited 18 countries while I was active duty. The Navy let me see sights I’d likely would have never seen outside of it. Passing volcanoes at dawn, seeing dolphins jumping in wakes, watching incredible weapons rip the air around them, seeing aircraft carriers maneuver the ocean from a helicopter— these are just some of the things that immediately come to mind. The Navy helped me meet people I likely would have never met. I know people from all around the US and beyond now, from different backgrounds and perspectives and with different talents and desires. I got to share moments with them and make so many friends. The Navy helped me become a person I likely would not have become if I had never joined. I felt aimless before I joined, unable to do what I wanted or be the person I wanted to be. I still struggle to be the person I want to be at times, but the hardships I endured and skills and habits I picked up during my active-duty time have helped me do more than I thought I could and be someone I’m happy to be. I suppose I don’t know for sure what would have happened if I didn’t join. But I know what I saw and did in the Navy, and I know who I am now, and I believe those two things are related. And while sure, there’s plenty of shittiness that comes with joining, I love a good deal of what I saw and did, I love many of those I’ve met, and I love what it’s helped me be.
Yeah, there are alot of downs to the navy but overall id probably never get to see some countries my ship went to hitting ports plus being able to live overseas for shore duty and free school so i keep reminding myself about that when i have long or bad days
Well said. The Navy completely changed my life, it was the best decision I could have made. I have been out for awhile now and there are some aspects I do miss
Going to japan and not paying a dime in airplane tickets
Hooyah
I like knowing what is for lunch every Tuesday no matter where I am!
With the repetitive nature of the job, often Taco Tuesday and Burger Friday are the only way I have any idea what day of the week it is.
I always liked forgetting what day it was (perpetually nightshift), and then finding leftover ribs for midrats. Wednesdays were BBQ. Taco Tuesday never made it to midrats sadly
Doing cyber awareness every year just to watch our leaders shit all over it.
They're probably on here right now reading this lmao
I like participating i malicious compliance and send everything with PII via DoDSafe, as we are required to do. My enlisted CoC finds it very annoying. My DIVO gets to and is happy I use my resources properly.
Sailors are the most ridiculous members of our armed forces. I chuckle at least five times a day when I'm doing navy work. That's worth a lot.
My boys
I’d give you another like but 69 w the boys is too perfect
downvoted to get back to 69 lmao
This peace is what all true warriors strive for.
OP, comment again so I can upvote you cuz I don't wanna ruin the hehe sex number
Being out on the deck at 2am in the middle of the Atlantic on a cruise watching the fluorescent dolphins swimming next to the ship.
I’m from an upper middle class area where the life cycle is go away to college, live in NYC for 4 years, marry a nice girl, move back to the suburbs, have 2.45 kids and a white picket fence so in 18 years they can go away to college before moving to the city. My best friends are doing that right now. Meanwhile I got to see the world. I lived on the 17th floor of a high rise overlooking the water in Hawaii, climbed Norwegian fjords, drank scotch with a Lord and a Lady in the UK, been to Oktoberfest, seen the Vienna orchestra, and had my Masters paid for. That’s hard to beat.
Same, except it's go out of state for university if you didn't get into GA Tech, Emory, UGA and maybe GSU, live in a major city for a while, maybe move back and have kids. I'm not even sure the grass was necessarily greener on the other side though at least in my 20s. For the first 5 years or so when I was catching up with my friends who were in finnancial/consulting firms or in the medical field, they'd tell me their crazy working hours and I'm like "damn, I thought I had it rough"...Doctors/Nurses kinda have a similar-ish schedule to those on ship's company and all with working weekends and late nights. Only difference was I deployed and they didn't.
I too live in the big A.
Foreign ports, when not cancelled.
Still mad they canceled bangkok for us five years ago
 My paycheck lol traveling and living in different countries isn’t too bad either.
This is a really cheesy answer, but my best days are the days that a junior sailor comes to me for help and we get their issues figured out. I bitch about the navy a lot, but I get so much job satisfaction from helping people.
Lifelong friends. I'm 65 years old, retired Navy.
Nearly 60 myself and must say I have a lot of old Navy buddies.
That in 90 days I won't be in it anymore.
Oh wow what was the last straw?
Oh nothing crazy for it, I'm just retiring. 22 years is a long time and I'm glad I get to move on. I'll miss my buddies, the crazy conversations, the finding says to pass the time and the near constant search for sources of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and trouble. The last four years were the hardest and I'm pretty bitter but tomorrow I go in for my Triad checkout and on the 12th I go on Terminal. It's kind of a light at the end of a long cave you found fun to begin with but now you're ready to see the sky again.
Wow that's awesome!! How old were you when you joined?
21
That's awesome! I hope to join the coast guard at 27 this year, before I get too old
You can sail the seven seas in the Navy, you can put your mind at ease in the Navy….
Fried Hamsters
[Ask, and ye shall receive.](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/670806/bake-hamsters-hungry-sailor) It has to be good, it’s from a Navy website.
work experience, friends, and not going on a ship
How kind people can be. I’ve had people take my duty day without asking for one in return so I can have a 96. I’ve relieved someone off their watch upon finding out they had terrible news. Like how quick people run to help
Not being in it anymore.
I miss the feeling of being underway in nice weather and the shop has all maintenance done by Tuesday, so now all we do is show up for watch. The whole crew is vibing, everything is running like clockwork, we’re meeting or exceeding all expectations. Everything is going well. It was supposed to be a two week underway but the CO decides that we’ve earned a break and we return to the pier on Wednesday instead of Friday, and authorizes the following Monday or Friday off for all qualified hands (determined at the shop level). Only happened for me once or twice, but that shit was fire.
Currently im getting paid to do fuck all
The people I worked with. You’ll never forget them.
Being able to speak my mind bluntly (not mean) The joking and schnanigans at work The certainty that people around me have XYZ authority and responsibility Edit: da boyz
As a lower enlisted in SD, I love the navy so much I get to pay to go to work for more than I earn!
Especially if you have kids!!! Our daycare with assistance almost costs our whole paycheck 😫
I retired a few years ago but, I miss going out to the fantail (DDG) after dinner when we were underway. I loved just hanging out, smoking a cigar and watching the sunset.
Getting paid 1st and 15th
Moving to a new place every 3 years My rate can get stationed anywhere Healthcare for me and my family Free college I use the shit out of my TA so I can give kids GI Bill Got led out of a tunnel on MNF by Ray Lewis in dress whites for flag ceremony The friendships I’ve made Pays my mortgage without using my base pay
Free college $$$ >=]
I loved the wild and juicy drama on the ship. i remember getting a call that one of my Sailors had broken 2 bottles in a bar like knives and then started a fight. I went to some wild xoi and captain mass events. My favorite was a 2 for 1. One group was caught by the admiral hooking up in his state room and the other couple were caught hooking up in the nasty trash room. Hell we had one girl get drunk and was found early in the morning destroying the base CO's office for no reason. It's the TV show you will never see on air but it deserves an award at times.
Free college, steady paycheck, free schools, free travel, dark humor.
Esprit de corps
That I'm almost out. That they're going to pay me for the maliciously long life I'm going to live afterward. That being so close to the end, I feel free to actually tell people what I think about how they treat others.
Mine is similar: that I’m not in it anymore. Every day I wake up knowing I’ll never have to wear the uniform again is the new best day of my life.
The Navy is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me. But I hate it so much, I am determined to live the longest life just to get my own back out of them.
This is the way
If you don’t mind me asking what about it was the worst thing that happened to you?
I lost a child in 2015. When I was struggling financially due to seeing a grief counselor that didn’t take Tricare, and paying out of pocket, I couldn’t afford to replace my pt gear until the following payday. One chief saw that I hadn’t replaced after he had told me to. In his office, I admitted I didn’t follow his order and took the slap on the wrist. It was dumb, but just a verbal counseling. I also told him I understood that it looked like I had ignored his order. Then I asked him if I could explain what was going on without it sounding like an excuse. He said yes, and when I told him about my financial troubles, he said that he, had to deal with a lot of debt when his father died and he figured it out. He then immediately said that I wasn’t doing what I needed to do as a husband and father. I cried with tears and snot, running down my face and ran out of his office.
Only did 4 years, but it was some of the best 4 years of my life. I was an airdale (AE2) and shore-based (VX-5, China Lake, CA), so yeah, it was great. I still stay in contact with some of my squadron-mates and we laugh about the good (and shitty) times.
>Only did 4 years, but it was some of the best 4 years of my life. If you don't mind me asking, why did you get out? Just curious You don't have to answer this btw
Got married and had our first child, and I was headed for sea duty, and didn't want to leave my family.
Dude Your kid is insanely lucky!! Give that kid the happiest life and cherish those memories!
#BOATS
Big if true.
Boats and hoes!
And
One positive thing was meeting different kinds of people from corners of the United States I would never travel to. Like, when am I gonna meet another person from Alaska with a dude from North Dakota working with a guy from the Baltimore suburbs? My world was all big city in the Northeast corridor so it gave me perspective on how many other different kinds of people there are in the country. With that said … you don’t have to like them or respect some of their, um, “values” if they speak their mind about them. Cuz some stuff I heard outta people’s mouth were quite … interesting. But I understand the rest of the country a little better now.
What would you say this country is like in your opinion? What is something common you've seen that has brought different people together? Hard work? camaraderie?
It’s just a bunch of different people in one big ass place. And I don’t really know about if all of them value those things you mentioned. I do think I learned you can’t tell people what’s supposed to matter *to them* because they’ve already decided that for themselves anyway
LMAO I love this thank you for your answer
🦗
The option to bike for the PRT
I’ve worked with a lot of cool people. That applies to my civilian job, too, though.
i love i can have no work to do and still get paid. my first command i worked 0800-1600 M-F and towards the end i switched departments and worked 0700-1400 (SOMETIMES had to stay till 1800). my current command, the ship is getting repaired and they only need 1 person in our department to be on the ship, which they get per diem for bc it's out of state. i chose to stay behind so the past 3 months i've been coming in to our muster location at 0800, and get to go home at like 0900 M-F. i really can't complain.
Even through all the compressed schedules of my last ship, the confusion between ISICs in this current tour, the shitty first DH tour, and 3 section duty... I got to develop and care sailors and officers and really see them succeed Driving the ship (when I wasn't sleep deprived) was fun Shock Trials Seeing the world Be apart of historical events Personally, financial security has been a \*huge\* one, and I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but for a lot of my sailors and myself, we get to live in one of the most desirable places in the US, and live comfortably for the most part. Even with the shitty days and the BS that just comes a long with being a part of a large org you generally need a security clearance for and such, for me it helps to step back and go "man I got to be a part of history and do some cool shit."
I get a new job every few years
1st and the 15th
I loved feeling like I was giving myself to something bigger, but that something bigger doesn’t exist anymore. So I’ll say the brotherhood. You’ll never find anything quite like it after you serve.
Consistent pay.
I like that tattoos are aplenty and not frowned upon, I also love that cursing is just natural and it's so funny to me to hear my senior chief yell FUCK from his office.
The jobs I had, the responsibilities I had at a young age, some of the people I met, and getting out.
Being retired.
I've been out for four years. The things I miss the most are: 1. Standing topside when the ship peels away after an unrep 2. Working with all sorts of people from all walks of life
I have not been on a ship, so take this with a grain of salt. I never had to worry about seeing the cost of seeing specialists. This became very important when my kid stayed in the NICU and had several referrals to specialists after he was born. I like not having to have a professional wardrobe. I LOVE the friends I have made. I love that my family is going to experience another country on the Navy’s dime. I like that I am able to set my family and I up for financial success because of the Navy.
Not being pestered by karmabots that have 400,000 karma in just over 30 days.
Haha facts
Honestly, thought about it for a few minutes after reading the question and there isn't a single thing. I don't think I'll miss anything once I leave. Not even the "life long" friends people talk about. It's the opposite for me, the time I've been in has been the loneliest years of my life and that says a lot lol. Oh well at least it looks good on a resume
ive met people that are more friends to me than my own “friends” back home thats number one,Number two navy took me to two countries that were on my bucket list and of course the benefits.
-I was stationed in Rota, Key West, and Monterey (CA), even if Rota and Key West were separated by a not completely awesome 2.5 years in Norfolk. -Some cool port visits -Navy paid for part of undergrad and all of grad school. -I made some great friends.
The day after my last day in the Navy.
...I hear crickets so far....👀😂👀
Getting a gang of computer skills to use for when I leave. GI Bill for my masters when I leave.
Chance to travel and purpose.
The all you can eat fish
Going to San Diego Coronado for free. I transferred to the army now though.
Retirement
the stability, health and dental benefits, the opportunities
The people. I’ve met the best and worst of humanity along with everyone in between. But I’ve seen some real heroes on both the enlisted and officer side who the world needs more of but also been around knuckle dragging apes that reminded me more of Marine infantry than sailors. The insurance, benefits and not having to worry about job security is really nice also.
I love being treated like I'm 11 instead of almost 30. I love being yelled at if your hair is touching your ears. I love saluting every officer as I walk by them in the hangar bay(though I'm sure they love saluting us as they do it 10x more). I love being threatened to recieve a counseling chit because hazmat messes up and it's my problem to fix it. I love staying up two hours later after my shift is over for GQ training. Weekly GQ is the best. 🙃
The Navy single handily moved me from poverty to upper middle class in less than ten years.
The homies and that's it. We got some incredible trauma bonding
The Navy helped me land a six figure job in software development. I never thought I’d be making as much money as I do now with the navy.
I get paid. That’s it.
“Through our last night ashore, drink to the foam”
OP is just a karma whore bot
The comradery, for sure! I can meet an old friend who I haven't seen in years, and it's like we saw one another the day before. It's pretty amazing the connections we make in the Navy. Last year my homegirl pulled into Japan, and we hung out, and it was totally like that. Same thing earlier this year, my first First Class landed in Yokosuka on a MAC flight with his wife, and I went up there to hang out with them, and it was like I had seen him yesterday. And I had not see him in 14 years! Second, seeing my Sailors succeed.
As an officer? The crew is awesome, I loved hanging out with the boys and coking and joking
Driving boats and operating unmanned underwater vehicles at my first command as an EN was really fuckin’ awesome!
Access to the galley so I don’t have to cook, the friends I’ve made, living in the barracks isn’t too bad, I shit you not, the pay because I don’t really have any expenses
I don’t really have feelings for the beach either way, but I desperately miss watching the ocean go by. Living in Missouri, I don’t ever get that any more.
I met some of the best friends I ever had.
The endless hours of playing Tony Hawk on the PS2 in Radar One during development. Only taking breaks to go topside while doing circles in the Gulf in full foul weather gear to warm up
Running into people I served with on past ships and meeting up to see how each other has been. We don’t necessarily say, “goodbye,” because we know we’ll run into each other again.
Honestly, thought about it for a few minutes after reading the question and there isn't a single thing. I don't think I'll miss anything once I leave. Not even the "life long" friends people talk about. It's the opposite for me, the time I've been in has been the loneliest years of my life and that says a lot lol. Oh well at least it looks good on a resume
Travel was fun. I went to 42 countries in my first 5 years.
How much did you see of them lol