for the navy.

Lol well first off- dh supports me 100%- we had a long discussion about it yesterday and he thinks it's a great idea.

So I went to the recruiter today, after booking an appointment yesterday- and well... I'm excited :)

It'll be a few months before I enlist..... I want to brush up on my math & science for the ASVAB. I took a practise test online yesterday- and I was getting like 9/10 for english, but 5/10 for math lol.. so yeah- I want the best score possible, so I can get into the medical field :)

Anywayyyy the recruiter was niceeee........ he was telling me about the process etc etc. So now it seems more like a reality than a fantasy :P More than anything, I'm worried about the asvab.

So yep- it wont be for awhile, but I'm seriously contemplating it. I think it'd be a great thing for me to do. I'm 20, with no real accomplishments- so maybe joining the navy will change that :D

Good for you!!!! I wanted to go into the service but I started having kids and got old. If nothing is holding you back. GO for it!!!! Good luck!!!!

That's great. I was going to join the Army, but I'm too terrified of being deployed. Good luck!

BTW, what made you want to join the Navy?

I'm happy for you but be careful...recruiters will say anything to get you to join.

That's great. I was going to join the Army, but I'm too terrified of being deployed. Good luck!

BTW, what made you want to join the Navy?

I want to make a difference.

So how does that work with your DH being Army?

Good Luck hun.

So how does that work with your DH being Army?

He's deploying early next year, and by the time he is due back - he's like 3 months short from his ETS date. So if I join when he's deployed, we won't really be anymore "apart" than necessary.

I think that is fantastic. The Navy was a major blessing in my life and loved being a corpsman... FYI-Do NOT worry about the ASVAB. Actually you do not need an extremely high ASVAB score to become a HM. Ask about taking the practice ASVAB at the office. They should have it available. Also, you might not want to wait too many months to join. HM billets fill very quickly during the summer months. My advice to you is to go in and take the ASVAB and see how you score and what they offer you. If they do not offer you HM or anything else that you want, go back a month later and take the ASVAB again and see what they offer. Biggest thing is to push for what you want...Right now is actually a good time of year to join and start boot camp. Trust me, you do not want to deal with the summer rush and risk not getting HM because of a bunch of high school graduates taking all the billets. When I joined, I took the ASVAB in April and started boot the end of May which was a REALLY great time. I loved boot camp. Let me know if you need anything or have any questions!

Oh, so you aren't looking to join till 2009?

Oh, so you aren't looking to join till 2009?

I was thinking more like maybe late this year- I want to be with dh as much as possible before he deploys, but I also don't want to be doing boot camp in the winter. I'm not terribly sure right now, I'm just going through the thought process. It'll be sometime in the coming months though. I need to sort out some immigration stuff before I can do anything though. That won't take too long.

good for you Simmy!

That is fabtastic!!! :yahoo

Great decision girlie :hugs

I think it is great for you to consider it and give it a lot of thought and talk to people before jumping into it. I know that it is a good way to get direction and hopefully you will be happy with whatever you do. Have you thought about what you would like to do as a corpsman? I.e. Respitory, xray tech, biomed, etc?

I think it is great for you to consider it and give it a lot of thought and talk to people before jumping into it. I know that it is a good way to get direction and hopefully you will be happy with whatever you do. Have you thought about what you would like to do as a corpsman? I.e. Respitory, xray tech, biomed, etc?

:) Yeah I'm just getting my toes soaked with knowledge before I sign any paper hehe. Umm no, as of yet- I haven't decided on what field in medicine yet though.. too many to really think of! My mind is totally occupied with re-learning math again hehe.

Awesome Simmy!!! I am SO happy for you! You said medical field, are you thinking of going in as a hospital corpsman? That's what Mike is, if you have any questions PM me! :hugs

If I were you, I would do some time as a 0000 (quad zero) which is your basic HM. That's what I did. I have done so many different things and learned so much. After about 3 years, I went to surgical tech school. Being an HM is so awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and did!

If I were you, I would do some time as a 0000 (quad zero) which is your basic HM. That's what I did. I have done so many different things and learned so much. After about 3 years, I went to surgical tech school. Being an HM is so awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and did!

I think that's a great idea! I feel like this is something that could really help me become an adult. As much as I am mature, and I've done some great things, I am still missing that something special. I guess it could be a sense of belonging. I'm stoked that dh is happy for me. I don't think I could join if he would hate me for it.. but he understands what I feel :)

And Kara, thanks :) Is your df loving his job?

:congrats that sound like a great idea! I also wanted to join but kids stopped me...oh well! You will do great on the asvab dont worry about it! Study sure cant hurt though, lol!

I think that's a great idea! I feel like this is something that could really help me become an adult. As much as I am mature, and I've done some great things, I am still missing that something special. I guess it could be a sense of belonging. I'm stoked that dh is happy for me. I don't think I could join if he would hate me for it.. but he understands what I feel :)

And Kara, thanks :) Is your df loving his job?

:lol I know EXACTLY what you mean. I joined right before I turned 19... I am now 25. It filled the gap that I felt I was missing.... a place for belonging, job satisfaction, feeling like I was doing some real good somewhere, even if it was for only one patient! If you stay 0000, which sometimes I wish I had, there is a real potential for leadership responsibilities if you work hard and just go for it! It is a good place to stay if you are going to be a lifer.... If not, find something that is marketable, which is personally why I became an ST. Plus, I ALWAYS loved the OR...not as much of a chance for leadership (real leadership) responsibilities....which you will find that a lot in your specialties... Not that you really need to think about any of that right now... I had a great mentor at one of my commands and it made a world of difference. Try to find one that will help you work the nitty gritty of joining the navy and will be able to help you get what you want before you get in. I am SO EXCITED for you! **sigh** I miss it!

good luck simmy!

I'm glad you are following your dream. Good luck with everything. I'm very proud of you. Study as much as you can for the ASVAB but I'm sure you will do great. Is not as bad as it looks.

for the navy.

Lol well first off- dh supports me 100%- we had a long discussion about it yesterday and he thinks it's a great idea.

So I went to the recruiter today, after booking an appointment yesterday- and well... I'm excited :)

It'll be a few months before I enlist..... I want to brush up on my math & science for the ASVAB. I took a practise test online yesterday- and I was getting like 9/10 for english, but 5/10 for math lol.. so yeah- I want the best score possible, so I can get into the medical field :)

Anywayyyy the recruiter was niceeee........ he was telling me about the process etc etc. So now it seems more like a reality than a fantasy :P More than anything, I'm worried about the asvab.

So yep- it wont be for awhile, but I'm seriously contemplating it. I think it'd be a great thing for me to do. I'm 20, with no real accomplishments- so maybe joining the navy will change that :D

SOUNDS GREAT TO ME!! yea you could definitely accomplish many things once your in just make sure you go to school and all. you should buy an asvab book and study it, my df did that and he got a much better score the second time in math. You could prob find some in the libraray if you don't want to buy one. Goodluck though

That's awesome!!! The military is definitely experience you could be proud to have. I want to get into the Foreign Service department...you're inspiring me to get off my ass and start doing that!

good luck and i think you made a wise decision.i thought about joining the Army last year.

Oh WOW! I must've missed something because I had no idea you were even contemplating enlisting! Best of luck to you, hun. I'm going to keep my fingers and toes crossed that you end up stationed near us! :D

That's great Simmy!!! :D

Dh is a Corpsman and his specialty is Preventive Medicine. You made a good choice ;)

I think that's a great idea! I feel like this is something that could really help me become an adult. As much as I am mature, and I've done some great things, I am still missing that something special. I guess it could be a sense of belonging. I'm stoked that dh is happy for me. I don't think I could join if he would hate me for it.. but he understands what I feel :)

And Kara, thanks :) Is your df loving his job?

Simmy he absolutely loves it. He's in Iraq right now, and he says he feels like he's where he belongs. Before Iraq, he worked in pediatrics in the Naval Hospital, and he loved that too. He has worked in all different areas of medicine and loves them all, but loves working with kids the most. He has learned so much. He went to get his EMT and he already knew all of the material and techniques from being a corpsman, his training has helped him greatly. Corpsmen can do SO much more than civilian MA's and such. In the civilian world, Mike can barely do anything-it stinks. But he's thinking of staying military, anyways. Good luck Simmy!! I'm routing for ya!

Wow, good luck!! How does dual miitay in diffrent services work?? Can you still be stationed together??

:yay good choice!!! Keep your head up and you'll do great!

wow thats awesome!!! i wish i had the guts to do it! i always wanted to join as well!! good luck with whatever you will decide on! i keep my fingers crossed!!! :hugs

Congrats!!!

I went, and I got like...4 DQs. 8( Actually, 2. I'm jealous you get to join! Where did you take the ASVAB? at the office or at home?

Do you know what path you wanna do?

for the navy.

Lol well first off- dh supports me 100%- we had a long discussion about it yesterday and he thinks it's a great idea.

So I went to the recruiter today, after booking an appointment yesterday- and well... I'm excited :)

It'll be a few months before I enlist..... I want to brush up on my math & science for the ASVAB. I took a practise test online yesterday- and I was getting like 9/10 for english, but 5/10 for math lol.. so yeah- I want the best score possible, so I can get into the medical field :)

Anywayyyy the recruiter was niceeee........ he was telling me about the process etc etc. So now it seems more like a reality than a fantasy :P More than anything, I'm worried about the asvab.

So yep- it wont be for awhile, but I'm seriously contemplating it. I think it'd be a great thing for me to do. I'm 20, with no real accomplishments- so maybe joining the navy will change that :D


Wow! Okay, so if you're going to be dual-active duty, the good news is that the military has restructured considerably in the past 20 years, so there are a LOT of places where you could be stationed together even if you're in different services.

More good news: for duallies, the money is really, really good.

Recruiters won't flat-out lie to you, but they will withhold information if you don't ask specifically for it. So don't be afraid to ask questions.

If a recruiter even 'suggests' that you lie or reveal less than the truth on your paperwork, don't do it. Just DON'T do it. If the recruiter tries to tell you that there's no reason to write down ....whatever...., ask the recruiter to put that in writing, on letterhead, with his/her signature.

I frequent another site with a terrific chatroom for questions and answers: http://usmilitary.about.com/ There are a LOT of people there with a great deal of experience, and they have no reason to lie to you about anything.

I did 20 years in the Navy and loved (most of) it.

Wow, good luck!!!

ETA: I was a corpsman, specializing in medical laboratory.

good luck sweetheart!

I think that is fantastic. The Navy was a major blessing in my life and loved being a corpsman... FYI-Do NOT worry about the ASVAB. Actually you do not need an extremely high ASVAB score to become a HM. Ask about taking the practice ASVAB at the office. They should have it available. Also, you might not want to wait too many months to join. HM billets fill very quickly during the summer months. My advice to you is to go in and take the ASVAB and see how you score and what they offer you. If they do not offer you HM or anything else that you want, go back a month later and take the ASVAB again and see what they offer. Biggest thing is to push for what you want...Right now is actually a good time of year to join and start boot camp. Trust me, you do not want to deal with the summer rush and risk not getting HM because of a bunch of high school graduates taking all the billets. When I joined, I took the ASVAB in April and started boot the end of May which was a REALLY great time. I loved boot camp. Let me know if you need anything or have any questions!

You can't just retake the ASVAB; the scores are good for a specific amount of time. You're really better off studying and doing well on the first shot. there's a book called ASVAB for Dummies, which is probably the best ASVAB study guide out there. Coincidentally, it was written by the guy who runs the US Military site at about.com. Seriously= stop in there and ask questions. You'll get accurate, legitimate, referenced answers.

At this point in time, the billets for this summer's boot camp for HMs is full. They're probably looking for people who are able to go at any time, which puts Simmy at an advantage.

Simmy, if you want to be a corpsman (I don't remember if you said you did or not), there are actually quite a few technical specialties (NECs) that have limited sea duty. For duallies this often works out well, since there isn't as much juggling of sea rotations. Of course, I would hope that you're actually interested in these specialties and not just taking them because they're convenient. And nothing is immune from deployment- even shore-intensive specialties get assigned to Surgical Teams, meaning that you'd be temporarily assigned to one of the larger ships, usually a big amphib, with a group of people from the hospital, doing humanitarian-type missions so that everyone can keep their quals up.

This would be SOOOOOO cool- and if you do join up and go, I'd bet that you'd be getting more mail from members of this site than you could handle!

I really wish you luck. This is kind of exciting!

You can't just retake the ASVAB; the scores are good for a specific amount of time. You're really better off studying and doing well on the first shot. there's a book called ASVAB for Dummies, which is probably the best ASVAB study guide out there. Coincidentally, it was written by the guy who runs the US Military site at about.com. Seriously= stop in there and ask questions. You'll get accurate, legitimate, referenced answers.

At this point in time, the billets for this summer's boot camp for HMs is full. They're probably looking for people who are able to go at any time, which puts Simmy at an advantage.

Simmy, if you want to be a corpsman (I don't remember if you said you did or not), there are actually quite a few technical specialties (NECs) that have limited sea duty. For duallies this often works out well, since there isn't as much juggling of sea rotations. Of course, I would hope that you're actually interested in these specialties and not just taking them because they're convenient. And nothing is immune from deployment- even shore-intensive specialties get assigned to Surgical Teams, meaning that you'd be temporarily assigned to one of the larger ships, usually a big amphib, with a group of people from the hospital, doing humanitarian-type missions so that everyone can keep their quals up.

This would be SOOOOOO cool- and if you do join up and go, I'd bet that you'd be getting more mail from members of this site than you could handle!

I really wish you luck. This is kind of exciting!

The Marine recruiter says you can take the ASVAB two weeks after your first one. And you can take it up to 3 times, more if your recruiters like you

The Marine recruiter says you can take the ASVAB two weeks after your first one. And you can take it up to 3 times, more if your recruiters like you

Have you actually seen this happen? Or are you going on what you've been told? Recruiters can not re-write the rules according to their wants.

The facts are: ASVAB results are valid for two years. After taking an initial ASVAB Test (any ASVAB test taken in school doesn't count as an "initial test"), one can retake the ASVAB after 30 days. After the re-test, one must wait at least six months before they can take the test again. The military services use the latest ASVAB scores, not the highest, for service and job qualifications. (Note: In extreme circumstances, such as suspected test-compromise, the MEPS commander can direct a re-test before the 30 day/six month window).

<snip>

The Marine Corps allows re-tests only under specific conditions. Per MCO P1100-72B (Marine Enlisted Recruiting), Part F, Paragraph 2c(3), the Corps will allow a re-test one month after the initial test, and six months after the second test, if evidence shows that due to the applicant's education, experience, and maturity, the acheived score is significantly below the applicant's capabilities.


http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/asvababcs_4.htm

Have you actually seen this happen? Or are you going on what you've been told? Recruiters can not re-write the rules according to their wants.

The facts are: ASVAB results are valid for two years. After taking an initial ASVAB Test (any ASVAB test taken in school doesn't count as an "initial test"), one can retake the ASVAB after 30 days. After the re-test, one must wait at least six months before they can take the test again. The military services use the latest ASVAB scores, not the highest, for service and job qualifications. (Note: In extreme circumstances, such as suspected test-compromise, the MEPS commander can direct a re-test before the 30 day/six month window).

<snip>

The Marine Corps allows re-tests only under specific conditions. Per MCO P1100-72B (Marine Enlisted Recruiting), Part F, Paragraph 2c(3), the Corps will allow a re-test one month after the initial test, and six months after the second test, if evidence shows that due to the applicant's education, experience, and maturity, the acheived score is significantly below the applicant's capabilities.


http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/asvababcs_4.htm

Yeah, I'm just going off what the recruiter said. :oops
But the OP hasn't taken a real one yet. I dont think she needs to worry about doing badly, as long as she studies her math. Good Luck Simmy!

i think thats GREAT!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!

Yeah, I'm just going off what the recruiter said. :oops
But the OP hasn't taken a real one yet. I dont think she needs to worry about doing badly, as long as she studies her math. Good Luck Simmy!

Also, if Simmy wants to be medical, she isn't going to be in the Marines. the medical people attached to marine units are Navy corpsmen, and they fall under navy recruitment policies and guidelines.

Regardles--- she's got a whole website of strong, bright, tough wimmens here behind her all the way! Go Simmy!!!!!!!

Also, if Simmy wants to be medical, she isn't going to be in the Marines. the medical people attached to marine units are Navy corpsmen, and they fall under navy recruitment policies and guidelines.

Regardles--- she's got a whole website of strong, bright, tough wimmens here behind her all the way! Go Simmy!!!!!!!

She can be on the "Greenside" if she wants to be with the Marines, and will have to go to FMF school. Dh is a Greenside Corpsman, and I believe that would open even more doors for her.

congrats simmy:) and good luck in everything...

She can be on the "Greenside" if she wants to be with the Marines, and will have to go to FMF school. Dh is a Greenside Corpsman, and I believe that would open even more doors for her.

The original question wasn't about the Marines, but there was a mention later in the thread about what a marine recruiter may have said. that's the only reason it came up.

FMF corpsmen still have limitations on female 8404s. She can go to field med school, but there are still certain units that she could not and would be placed with. It's not as easy as a male 8404 "going green."

She can be on the "Greenside" if she wants to be with the Marines, and will have to go to FMF school. Dh is a Greenside Corpsman, and I believe that would open even more doors for her.

I thought I saw on military.com that FMF people have to be men? ...hmm....but I bet they put male with male units and females with female units? Actually I dunno. My fiance wants to do HM too, but he wouldn't go for a few months, maybe you'll be in HM school together, Simmy!

I thought I saw on military.com that FMF people have to be men? ...hmm....but I bet they put male with male units and females with female units? Actually I dunno. My fiance wants to do HM too, but he wouldn't go for a few months, maybe you'll be in HM school together, Simmy!

No, female corpsmen can go to field medical school and be assigned to a marine unit, as long as the unit's primary mission isn't combatant. By law, women can't be assigned to units or billets that are considered combat units, so there wouldn't be any female marine units that wouldhave that purpose anyhow. Female FMF corpsmen do get assigned to adminstrative positions within Marine units, and of course, since there are no real 'front lines' in this war, it's hard to say if a unit absolutely would not see combat, but the law says that females can't be assigned to units whose purpose is direct combat.

I want to make a difference.

Wow. I'm in awe of you. Congratulations... and thank you!

goodluck...it's great you found something that you want to do...and can make it work especially being dual military...
you kow we're all rooting for you...!!

I would so join, but I don't know how DH and I would handle the kids, I am still young only 23, so might wait get in better shape and enlist..

You are an inspiration!

I'm excited for you girl! I think I would rather go in the summer to GL my dh went in DEC and hated it there so try to stay away from the winter months if possible unless you want 4 feet of snow...lol