Cool link for anyone Navy past or present.

[damronjr]

http://oldbluejacket.com/SeaPower.htm

[Navtrtl]

I didn't get to watch the whole thing because I am on dial-up, but I'm sure it all focused on the big ships, subs, and air power. I would once like to see a mine sweeper in the mix. Again, I didn't see the whole thing, but i've seen many like it, and you never see a mine sweeper in the mix. I just got out of the Navy in May. I was stationed on USS Avenger (MCM-1) for a few years. The Avenger class of ships has always been the red headed step child of the Navy. Kind of sucks since we make it possible for all the amphibs to get their payloads to the shore, clear channels for other vessels, and provide many other forms of support including drug ops. But big and powerful is what sells i guess. Not small and wooden.

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by Navtrtl »I didn't get to watch the whole thing because I am on dial-up, but I'm sure it all focused on the big ships, subs, and air power. I would once like to see a mine sweeper in the mix. Again, I didn't see the whole thing, but i've seen many like it, and you never see a mine sweeper in the mix. I just got out of the Navy in May. I was stationed on USS Avenger (MCM-1) for a few years. The Avenger class of ships has always been the red headed step child of the Navy. Kind of sucks since we make it possible for all the amphibs to get their payloads to the shore, clear channels for other vessels, and provide many other forms of support including drug ops. But big and powerful is what sells i guess. Not small and wooden.Hey, welcome to the site! I just got out on April 1st! I was on the USS Boxer (LHD-4) for 2 1/2 yrs out here in San Diego. My sister and her husband used to be down in Corpus.

[Merzbow]

That was an awesome video! I'm not in the Navy either

[Navtrtl]

Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking on here for a couple of weeks now. Was saving my first post for when I had pics of my Vibe after some more mods. But figured I would chime in on this thread. So far, I have only done the A/C stuff and the grounding of all the engine components and such. Once I get a job I plan on the CAI, throttle body spacer, and exhaust system. I'm still doing research on that stuff though.EDIT: Just read your "Getting out" thread. I would have been getting out for the same thing PRT type stuff if it weren't for my time ending prior. The Navy was actually bad for my health. When I was on the ship, it was too small to excercise on, and we were underway a lot. Also, I started having medical issues with my feet and couldn't stand to walk, much less run after work. I'm pending an evaluation in the following weeks to see what level of disability I qualify for. I was in so much better shape prior to enlisting. Had a pretty promising career going too. Put on E-5 in under 2 years and could have made E-6 in 5 if I had wanted to study, but didn't care since I had already planned to get out. It wasn't the life for me. Made me lazy and took away my motivation to do the things I loved prior to joining. Now i'm getting back in shape again. I feel 100% better. I'm still proud of my service to the Navy. Enjoyed some of it. Wish I could have seen something other than North America though. Just out of curiosity, was there a guy named Stan Redding on your ship. He would have been an ET, I think. Can't remember if he made it through the whole ET school or if he was sent out undesignated. But I think he may have been on your ship. Would have been 3-4 years ago maybe.

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by Navtrtl »Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking on here for a couple of weeks now. Was saving my first post for when I had pics of my Vibe after some more mods. But figured I would chime in on this thread. So far, I have only done the A/C stuff and the grounding of all the engine components and such. Once I get a job I plan on the CAI, throttle body spacer, and exhaust system. I'm still doing research on that stuff though.EDIT: Just read your "Getting out" thread. I would have been getting out for the same thing PRT type stuff if it weren't for my time ending prior. The Navy was actually bad for my health. When I was on the ship, it was too small to excercise on, and we were underway a lot. Also, I started having medical issues with my feet and couldn't stand to walk, much less run after work. I'm pending an evaluation in the following weeks to see what level of disability I qualify for. I was in so much better shape prior to enlisting. Had a pretty promising career going too. Put on E-5 in under 2 years and could have made E-6 in 5 if I had wanted to study, but didn't care since I had already planned to get out. It wasn't the life for me. Made me lazy and took away my motivation to do the things I loved prior to joining. Now i'm getting back in shape again. I feel 100% better. I'm still proud of my service to the Navy. Enjoyed some of it. Wish I could have seen something other than North America though. Just out of curiosity, was there a guy named Stan Redding on your ship. He would have been an ET, I think. Can't remember if he made it through the whole ET school or if he was sent out undesignated. But I think he may have been on your ship. Would have been 3-4 years ago maybe.Wow! Where to start. Yeah, I was 165lbs when I joined, and after 8yrs of Navy exercise I was 235lbs! I ran just about every day (never exercised before!) and ate healthier than I did before joining. I originally joined to be an ET! I went through AECF Technical Core, passed with flying colors, got started in ET Radar, passed Communication Principles fine, took Radar Principles twice b/c I just could not get the **** (barely passed the 2nd time!), passed SPS-63 test, but failed the Lab portion of the test b/c I was reading an IC chip backwards! lol Got dropped out of school, was scheduled to reclass, then 1 day they came in, told us the computers were "down" for reclass, so they were just going to send us all undesignated! I tried everything and everyone to get out of it, even to the point I was routing a chit for Request Mast, but the instructors at the school-house said it would be a waste of time and nothing would come of it so I pulled it. The STD (Seamanship Training school FYI! ) school was only 2wks, on the day before the final test we were studying. They put us on break, I went, had my stuff packed, a Jam-Van waiting, and went to the Greyhound Station and went home! Stayed for 24 days before being convinced by my brother's Marine recruiters he was talking to that if I went back and plead my case I would get a better discharge. Went back, Captain said no way you're gettig out even after my 3 page paper explaining everything, so he got me re-classed to PN (which I stupidly chose!). Went to school in MS, then picked orders to the Boxer. Went to Mazatlan MX twice, went to HI numerous times, went to Phuket Thailand twice, Singapore twice, Guam once, Jebel Ali 2 or 3 times, Bahrain once, Darwin Australia once but couldn't get off b/c we were just refueling, East Timor, and Jordan to drop Marines but turned right back around after a threat was being assumed in the whole Gulf area. Spent 2 1/2 ys on the Boxer, then when I was supposed to get out the first time as a PN3 (couldn't make PN2 to save my life it was so closed up)(PN1 hooked me up and got my 2yr extension for the ET stuff dropped! ), put in a SCORE package to convert to AT. Flew through AT school with flying colors (top of my class the whole time, even with ex-Nucs and guys who were working as AT's before they went to school in there!), and picked orders to NASNI AIMD San Diego b/c Hawaii and TX were not available. Made AT2 first time up, never got to take AT1 before I got out the 2nd time b/c I only reenlisted for 3yrs. PRT started killing me when I went to AT school, just got worse after. Started getting heavier, couldn't run for ****, so my last PRT to make 3 failures was just before my EAOS. I failed it and got a $10k severence package from the Navy b/c of it! lol BTW, don't recall a Redding.

[Navtrtl]

That's crazy. Now I wish I had stayed in long enought to get kicked out. It would have only been a couple of months longer till my next PRT. 10k would have been nice. We had started saving up a lot of money the two years prior to getting out, so we were prepaired. Saved close to a whole years pay. I shouldn't say "WE," the wife actually did all the saving and budgeting. I just suffered by not being able to buy all the things I wanted. You know what's funny? My second PRT in the navy, I did 112 push ups, 86 sit ups, and the run in just over 10 minutes. I was never a runner. Anyway, it just all went slowly downhill from there. The Navy killed my health. My last PRT, I did 52 push ups, 67 sit ups, and the run in OHHHH 20 minutes or so. Walked it mostly. I have very bad feet.A bit off topic, but in your other post you mentioned trying to find a job. Did you find one yet? If you are still looking, I can tell you of one that pays 25/hr, PLUS you get your GI Bill while you work. That's $31K over five years on top of your pay. Let me know if you are interested. You probably don't even have to move.

[damronjr]

Quote, originally posted by Navtrtl »That's crazy. Now I wish I had stayed in long enought to get kicked out. It would have only been a couple of months longer till my next PRT. 10k would have been nice. We had started saving up a lot of money the two years prior to getting out, so we were prepaired. Saved close to a whole years pay. I shouldn't say "WE," the wife actually did all the saving and budgeting. I just suffered by not being able to buy all the things I wanted. You know what's funny? My second PRT in the navy, I did 112 push ups, 86 sit ups, and the run in just over 10 minutes. I was never a runner. Anyway, it just all went slowly downhill from there. The Navy killed my health. My last PRT, I did 52 push ups, 67 sit ups, and the run in OHHHH 20 minutes or so. Walked it mostly. I have very bad feet.A bit off topic, but in your other post you mentioned trying to find a job. Did you find one yet? If you are still looking, I can tell you of one that pays 25/hr, PLUS you get your GI Bill while you work. That's $31K over five years on top of your pay. Let me know if you are interested. You probably don't even have to move.Same here! I did 112 sit-ups, like 75 push-ups, and ran in 10;50 (I've always been a horrible runner!)! My last PRT I did just over the minimum push-ups and sit-ups to try to be able to run faster and still failed by like 15s!I am def interested in that job if there is some way I can do it from Dallas, TX. That is where I intend to move!

[Navtrtl]

You should be able to. It is electrician work. You can do either residential, or commercial/industrial. It's a 5 year training program supported by most local branches of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). You won't make 25/hr until the 5 year mark. The actual pay depends on your local branch. And it can take a couple of months to get on the program. Essentially, you apply at the Local IBEW for the JATC (Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee) Program. After a couple of weeks to a month, you may be required to take an aptitude test. Then after a couple of more weeks, you will get an interview. Some branches don't make you take a test, instead, they only require an interview. If you get accepted, it works like this:5 years working for contractors in you surrounding counties as an apprentice.Pay starts out at about 40% of the scale pay ($25/h is scale in my area.)You go through levels or phases in the program where pay will increase by 10% increments.During the whole 5 years, you will be able to collect the GI Bill. It will start around $800/month for the first six months, then $600/month for the next six months and so on. Basically, as your pay increases, your GI Bill decreases to compensate. You will be required to attend classes every week to two weeks depending on the local branch.Free medical coverage for the WHOLE familyFor every hour you work, about $4.25 is put towards your pension. This is not taken from your pay. This is paid by your employer. IT IS NOT TAKEN OUT OF YOUR PAY. You may be required to travel to counties that could be an hour or so away for work, but it's a sacrifice worth making so that in five years you will have a good job. I you did the apprenticeship program in the Navy where you kept track of your hours, then you could actually start at a higher level of pay or maybe end up skipping a few years of the program. I'm not sure since I didn't do the apprenticeship program in the Navy because I said I didn't want to be an electrican. Now, that's what I want to do. If you did the program and completed it, you may be able to just get your journeymans liscense and start working for full scale wages. Just look up your local IBEW union hall, or ask the employment office VA rep about the Helmets to hardhats program. I have been accepted at one branch, but am awaiting to find out if this other one will accept me after my interview the other day. I should be good to go. But I have to wait it out. For anyone else reading this, you do not have to be prior military for this program. It is open to all high school grads with at lease a passing score in algebra 2 or higher math. GED's are fine also. Edit: Here's a link to the Washington JATC program. It is very similar to what the Louisville, KY program is like. http://www.lni.wa.gov/TradesLi...ca%22

[Navtrtl]

More links to the program:Local 20 IBEW Home page http://www.ibew20.org/local20-homepage.htm Look at the top two links under the apprentice section for sign up instructions and pay information. http://www.ibew20.org/local20-joinus More info: http://www.ibew20.org/local20-didyouknow.htm If you go with this program, it can be a tough couple of years starting out, but once you finish, it smooth sailing. Look at the info about the medical and retirement. This program is worth looking into.