New recruit questions

[navyrecruit1984]

Hi, this site has been really helpful during my recruitment. I just have a few questions.I'm trying to decide between NCS or Reserve, and I want to be an 8404.

I really want to do CASEVAC. Would I have a better chance to be assigned to a marine air wing if I do NCS over reserves?

I've heard conflicting things about NCS. Do you receive the $5000 bonus and an educational benefit? or is it just one or the other?

I saw on military.com that the navy reserve offers college loan repayment of up to $10,000 as an enlistment incentive for some ratings. My recruiter said it's not available. I think my recruiter is right because the website is outdated, but I just want to make sure.

My family seems to want to be supportive of me, but they keep telling me I should choose a rating that is not as dangerous. I've told them all the reasons why I want to be a corpsman, but it doesn't seem to help. My dad talked to a corpsman that's a vietnam vet, and I think that just made it worse. I feel some guilt for making them worry, and I feel like they think I am crazy or something. I understand why they're concerned, but I also wish they'd start to accept it. Anyone else been in similar situations?

[Da-Chief]

Shipmate,
1 question and then I can help you.. Why are you picking Reserve or NCS..??
Just need to know before I level with you.. I want to hear it in "YOUR" words so I can forward off to HMC Pace at NHCS so he has it on file when your crying that your a Reservist and want to go active or you hate the NCS program because your recruiter told you that you could extend on Active duty but can't..

Both of these programs "SEVERLY" limit what you can do as a HM and it also depends on where you live for the Reserves.. No Marine unit nearby? Guess what get used to doiong "NADA" on drill weekends ther then physicals..

Let me know

Da-Chief

[navyrecruit1984]

The main reason I've decided not to do the 5 year active duty commitment is that I want to finish school. Also, the idea of living in barracks for the next 5 years isn't very appealing. Missing out on all the opportunities active duty corpsmen get will suck, but I think I want to start in the reserve, and maybe re-enlist into AD after my 6 years are up when I have some rank and a better idea of whether I want to be career military or not. That is all.

[old 1/6 Doc]

1984 you need to decide for yourself what it is you want to do. It is your decision to be what you want to be because you have to live with it. Another thing do you want to go to school or become one of the few that will step up and make a difference? As a Corpsman you should welcome the chance to live in the barracks with you Marines, that builds a unity with you platoon and a trust that no one can break. I had a lot of fun when I was with my Marines, true sometimes it is not all that fun but that will not last long.
Anyway my suggestion is go active duty and make a DOC in the Corps.

[Da-Chief]

My advice too..
I started out as a "RESERVIST" currently called NPSB or whatever (Back then Split SAM) I liked it so much I put my papers in to go active.. I was separated to Reserve Duty in Nov.. was back on Active Duty Jan 2nd 1986.

Those days are gone though, you have to make up your mind now, The Reserves have to let you go to go on Active Duty and the manning is really now. They most likely would not let you go Active.

You have to be sure from the beginning.. Your educated now.. It's up to you..

HMC

[navyrecruit1984]

Thank you for the advice. I am probably going to do NCS. I don't know if I want to commit for 5 years AD yet. Hopefully, if I want to stay in after the 15 months, they'll let me.

[DeeDee]

1984 - you seem like you have really thought about what you want to do - this is to be commended since a lot of people go to the military looking only for the enlistment bonus or the money for college (not that these are bad things) :)

Good Luck and I look forward to talking with you lots on this site.
DeeDee

[navyrecruit1984]

Well, I went to MEPS on Friday, and everything went really smoothly. The physical took 5 hours, and the food wasn't that great, but everything else about the experience was good. I got everything I wanted in my contract, and I was sworn in by a Coast Guard commander. I ended up doing the NCS with loan repayment, and I'm going in as an E-3. I got FMSS (or FMTB or whatever) in my contract too, but I think everyone is getting that anyway.I ship out Aug 9, and I can't wait. Now, I just need to step up the running and push-ups routine.

[KentuckyBoy]

" and the food wasn't that great" hahaha. You will love MRE's

[Navycameron]

I thought the food was pretty good actually. Like everybody says the militry is hurry up and wait get used to it. I have been to meps twice and I haven't even shipped out yet.

[pheepster]

What did you get for the student loan repayment? I just read that up to $65K is repayable, what amount did they tell you, and was it dependent upon your enlistment option?
-thanks

[Lil Miss Kenya]

What did you get for the student loan repayment? I just read that up to $65K is repayable, what amount did they tell you, and was it dependent upon your enlistment option?
-thanks

I know you were'nt asking me that question, but I got the loan repayment too. I think as long as it's 65k or less, then all of it will be paid off depending on how many years of service you do. I'm not really sure how it all works, but as long as you put in the paperwork every year, you'll get it paid off. The don't pay it all at once. Hope that helps.----KENYA

[navyrecruit1984]

I'm doing National Call to service so I'm only getting $18,000 max paid off. If you go active duty 5 years, you definitely get a lot more.

[Da-Chief]

1984 is correct. NCS you only get I believe up to 18K..

V/R
HMC

[Lil Miss Kenya]

I was going to do that too, but they didn't have any positions available for women obviously. But yea, that's a different program. That's still awesome, because you only do like 2 years active right?

[citrus]

Corpsman Can Do National Call To Service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????

[DeeDee]

yes Citrus - my son went in on an NCS contract - in my humble opinion not the best option for him but hey that is what they had available.

[citrus]

So all your son has to serve is 2 YEARS? I asked MEPS if I could do that and she said no only five years. When Im done with Corpsman I want to be a fireman on St.Pete Beach!

[Corpsman77Wife]

Can I ask why you want to be a corpsman in the Navy but when you get done be a fireman? Don't you think you would want to use your skills you learned in the Navy to maybe be a EMS tech?

[citrus]

Big Cities like St.Pete firefighters honestly deal with car accident victims just as much as EMS do. Once out of firefighter school and that career I want to move onto the National Forestry Ranger positions. Be a Park Ranger on maybe the Blue Ridge Parkway and go after hikers in distress!

Hey I have my whole life for these jobs. Lets say 15 years a career, never get bored that way... Retire at 64.

[schirling_rules]

Stay away from that NCS program! It's EVIL.....

It lures good sailors into a crappy contract that they usually try and get out of as soon as they get to the Fleet. ALL my NCS guys but one have extended on Active Duty

[popsie]

In answer to Corpsmans77wife. In reality, being a firemen has a better future carreer wise. There really is no carreer track in EMS. Unless you get in a municipality. Also burnout rate is higher in EMS. What you see on TV and the movies about EMS is on TV and in the movies. Civilian EMS is much different. Don't get me wrong it's fun and interesting, but not like on TV and the Movies. It's a different world. Beside Firemen have coolers vehicles and Toys.

[popsie]

Active duty are 5 year hitches now?

[puckmedic]

Food? At MEPS? (In an old gruff voicepuckmedic says...) When I was a civilian and I was at MEPS there was no food. They gave you a break and you walked out into the city (Springfield Mass) to eat at any one of the local places.

Food at meps!!! kIDS TODAY HAVE IT SO EASY


please post condolences on the string "Short Notice for HM1 Mack" under the PGR section.

[AndiRRT]

Active duty are 5 year hitches now?


I'm gonna have to do two tears of service for every year of school, so 10 years. Might as well stay and retire

[AndiRRT]

I am not the authority on anything here, but I wanted to share something with you. I was always in the gifted calsses when in school. I was the classic over-achiever, and could have gotten a free ride from just about any college I would have attended. I wanted to go pre-med then and go to medical school. My parents didn't interfere with my education, even as a minr. I was always told it was my future, so do what I wanted. When I said that I was going to pursue being a physician, my mother hung her head and said (and I will never forget ir) "Oh, Andi, they only let rich kids into medical school." I didn't go. Instead, I was a music major. My mom passed away halfway through my freshman year, and I was no longer interested in pursuing something I had chosen for her benefit. 13 years later, I am a mother and a wife. I have had to endure so many things to pursue my education, including poverty and some other issues I will not go into. I believe everything happens for a reason, and my mistakes are what brought my husband and son into my life, so I don't regret it. But as I struggle to provide for my family while undertaking such lofty endeavors now, I cannot help but wonder what would have happened had I done what I had wanted in the first place.

What does this have to do with your question? Probably nothing. I don't know the military lingo, or even the options available to you. But I do know from experience that you have to do what will make you happy. If you are young (sorry,I don't know), this will be something you will discover on your own as you grow older. Speaking from experience, it is very difficult to back-pedal into a goal you cast aside because a loved had something different in mind.

Good, Luck!

Hi, this site has been really helpful during my recruitment. I just have a few questions.I'm trying to decide between NCS or Reserve, and I want to be an 8404.

I really want to do CASEVAC. Would I have a better chance to be assigned to a marine air wing if I do NCS over reserves?

I've heard conflicting things about NCS. Do you receive the $5000 bonus and an educational benefit? or is it just one or the other?

I saw on military.com that the navy reserve offers college loan repayment of up to $10,000 as an enlistment incentive for some ratings. My recruiter said it's not available. I think my recruiter is right because the website is outdated, but I just want to make sure.

My family seems to want to be supportive of me, but they keep telling me I should choose a rating that is not as dangerous. I've told them all the reasons why I want to be a corpsman, but it doesn't seem to help. My dad talked to a corpsman that's a vietnam vet, and I think that just made it worse. I feel some guilt for making them worry, and I feel like they think I am crazy or something. I understand why they're concerned, but I also wish they'd start to accept it. Anyone else been in similar situations?

[rick]

I am not sure if this is the correct site to ask this questions, if not please let me know which one is. My son is considering joing the Navy and wants to be a corpsman. He knows about A school, but what about c school. Who decides if he goes to c school or not?
Is it better to go to c school?
what are the chances he will wind up with an assignment he does not want to like, for example he doesn/t want anything to do with
dental work?
is serving with Marines voluntary or mandatory, who makes that decision.
My older son is a 1stLt in the Marines and has done 2 tours in iraq, so he knows and appreciates what corpsman do.
rick

[8404]

Rick;

Rick; we have a huge community of Corpsman and medical professionals here on this website. I will attempt to answer your questions, but ask all of our users to chime in if I have misstated something.

As a parent of a Corpsman, I want to welcome you here to this website. This website, originally started for Navy Corpsman, has expanded to include medical enlisted personnel from all branches of the military. The web master/owner is a recently retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and a former instructor at the Naval Hospital Corpsman School. So yes, you came to the right place.

'C' schools are specialty schools where Navy personnel can submit a package requesting a given 'C' school. Sometimes, if they excel, the Navy will approach and offer them a 'C' school. This happened to my son. I believe it always beneficial to attend some kind of 'C' school prior to leaving military service. Those skills, learned in 'C' school, can often times translate to satisfactory civilian employment.

Currently, getting a 'C' school at the completion of Hospital Corpsman school, is not happening at the moment. At the completion of Corpsman school, graduating male sailors are sent to their next duty assignment and await orders to Field Medical Training Battalion, FMTB, see: http://www.cpp.usmc.mil/schools/fmtb/index.asp FMTB is currently located at both Camp Pendleton, California or Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

At the completion of FMTB, graduating sailors are then sent to the fleet, wherever that may be. Orders are always at the discretion of the Navy and they send them wherever they are needed most! Yes, sometimes that can be a location that is not desirable.

The Navy has merged the dental program into one NEC/job and they are all Corpsman now.

Going with the Marines as a Navy Corpsman, (going green as Corpsman call it) is NOT voluntary! The Navy makes those decisions, and will send them wherever they are needed most.

Should your son choose to be a Corpsman, this is the website for your family, even while he is attending boot camp. Stay involved with our community, encourage your wife to join us. We have a parent thread here for us parents. Please feel free to participate in any active threads, start one of your own, ask questions. We are here for support and a healthy exchange of information.

As a former Vietnam era Marine, give your 1stLt son a hearty Semper Fi for us. Be sure and tell your Marine son to inform other Corpsman and their families about us.

[Da-Chief]

Rick,
8404 is correct. Right now the students don't have much say where they are going after "A" School. The only ones though who are going "DENTAL STRAND" though are ones who volunteer for it and it is in their contracts.

The best advice I would give is read everything before signing "ANYTHING". This is true for all services..

We are here if you have any other questions.

V/R
HMC Crone
Da-Chief

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

Going with the Marines as a Navy Corpsman, (going green as Corpsman call it) is NOT voluntary! The Navy makes those decisions, and will send them wherever they are needed most.

A Corpsman may volunteer or request to be assigned to the Marines; however, sometime they get "volun-TOLD" to go with the Marines even if they do not want to.

It has been my experience that most Doc's who volunteer for the "green side" tend to spend the majority of their career on the green side. However, after a Doc completes a tour with the Marines he may request transfer to a non-Marine unit.

On the reserve side of the house, after 3-years with the Marines the Navy is to honor any request to rotate out of the FMF for at least one 2-year period and assign the Doc to a non-Marine unit. At the end of 2-years, the Navy is suppose to reassign the 8404 Doc back to the Marines and the cycle starts over again.

[rick]

Thanks for the info, i was also in Nam, 66-67 with the Marines.
What do you think of the NCS program, 2 years, then i believe they can extend for 2 or 3 more if they want and do well.

[Epsilon]

Hey guys I'm new to this forum. I've been looking at different options for joining the navy when i heard about the NCS program. The recruiter I've been talking to says the four years in active reserve is required after those first two in active duty. Another person i talked to said those four years could be switched to four years in active duty. Can anyone who has gone through the NCS program (or knows anything about it) give me some information on this topic? Thanks in advance.

[8404]

Epsilon:

We're glad you are here.

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=10055

Navy Newstand
National Call to Service Program Announced
Story Number: NNS031016-03
Release Date: 10/16/2003 12:27:00 PM
http://www.navy.mil/images/excl_icon2b.gif

From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Oct. 1, the Navy began offering a new short-term enlistment program aimed at expanding the opportunities for all Americans to serve in the United States Navy.

Known as the National Call to Service (NCS), the program provides the Navy and the other military services a new way to reach a group of young Americans who otherwise might not serve in the military because of the length of traditional enlistment options.

The program works like this: A recruit enlists under NCS and incurs a 15-month active-duty service obligation following completion of initial-entry training. The 15-month obligation begins after a Sailor has completed his or her respective Navy School. Navy Schools can run from three-months to 18-months depending on rating.

Following successful completion of active duty obligation, Sailors may re-enlist for additional active duty or transfer to the selected reserve for a 24-month obligation.

Upon completion of service obligation, Sailors may remain in the selected reserve or transfer to the individual ready reserve for the remainder of an eight-year national commitment.

While in the individual ready reserve, these young people will be given the opportunity to move into one of the other national service programs, such as AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, and time in those will count toward their eight-year total obligation.

“The National Call to Service Program will be limited to high-quality recruits, those with a high school diploma and scores in the top half of aptitude tests,” said Vice Adm. Gerry Hoewing, Chief of Naval Personnel.

“We hope this will make the military more attractive to college-bound youth who might volunteer to take a short period out between high school and college to serve their nation.”

The option may also attract college graduates interested in serving their country before attending graduate school. Perhaps the largest potential pool for the option are community college graduates who after serving the initial active duty period might use available incentives to enter a four-year school.

There are four incentives available under the NCS Program. The first is a $5,000 bonus payable upon completion of active duty service.

The second is a loan-repayment option also paid at the end of the active-duty portion. The legislation allows for repayment of up to $18,000 of qualifying student loans.

The final two incentives are tied to, but not part of, the Montgomery G.I. Bill. One gives 12 months of a full Montgomery G.I. Bill stipend -- currently about $900 a month.

The other incentive offers 36 monthly payments at one-half of the current Montgomery G.I. Bill stipend.

"This is a great option for high school graduates or even college students who want to serve the country, see the world and then go to school," Hoewing added.

Each service will set their own enlistment criteria. The first people who opted for this program entered the delayed-entry program beginning Oct. 1. Basic medical specialties, some engineer skills, personnel, administration and combat specialties will generally be offered.

Traditional enlistment terms are three, four, five and six years in comparison to the nominal 15 months of service for the NCS Program. The Navy intends to recruit and select up to 1,000 Sailors for this new national service program.

MILPERSMAN Article 1133-080, to be released later this month, will provide all the details. It will also be available on CD-ROM in January, 2004.

For related news, visit the Chief of Naval Personnel Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cnp (http://www.news.navy.mil/local/cnp/).




Also See: MILPERSMAN 1133-080 (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu5JFcbxGResAf6tXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE4aWUyZ2l wBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0Y5MDBfODEEb ANXUzE-/SIG=12pvsfemk/EXP=1186841285/**http%3a//buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/508/milpers/1133-080.htm) National Call to Service (NCS) Program

http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/508/milpers/1133-080.htm

[Epsilon]

8404,
Thanks for the helpful website. I just have one more question to everyone. I'm not sure if this just my recruiter trying to get me to sign on for more years, but he said there are some people after the 2 years with the NCS who want to remain active duty and The Navy won't allow them. Has this type of situation happened to anyone?

[8404]

Epsilon (http://www.corpsman.com/forum/member.php?u=943):

The answer to your question, yes.

The NCS reserve program "severely" limits what you could have done with an 'active duty' enlistment contract.

I'm going to refer you to another link on this site that discusses this program in depth:

http://www.corpsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7101

I hope this helps you in making an educated decision. I would personally stay away from the NCS program.