Need Some SWOtivation

Well ladies and gents, after a long hard struggle I've finally received the NAMI Whammy and am redesignating to SWO. Unfortunately, I just don't know enough about the community and am trying to get as much good gouge and advice as possible before I report aboard my first ship. Do any of you SWOs aboard AW have any good advice that you wished that you had known before you reported for your first DIVO tour? Also, have any of y'all gone to the RIVRONs or MESF communities? If so, what did you do beyond getting your EOOW/TAO/SWO pin quals to get there?

As always, thanks a bunch.

A complex question, how does one prepare to be a SWO JO?

I'll have more from what I've observed as the thread picks up but I have one big one.

Do NOT wax poetic about being involved in aviation once you report. I've seen nothing good come of it. As a Supply type, I don't care. In fact, I may be interested to know. But some SWOs have axes to grind with aviation types for whatever reason.

Sign up for sailorbob.

What she said. Go read "Neptune's Fire" and "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors".

AA - Sorry to hear about the NAMI deal. I know how much you wanted to fly. That said, I know you'll be a kick-ass SWO. Don't be a stranger around here.

Sorry to hear it man. Go kick ass out there in black-shoe land, and don't be that guy with an ax to grind about aviation types. But we know it works both ways.

Haters gonna hate.

I can't speak for present day SWOland but not that many years ago it was about a 50/50 chance that you'd end up on a ship with great leadership and fellow officers that wanted all the JO's to succeed in their careers and have some fun at the same time, less the JO's that would have sucked in any community of course. Actually when you work on a ship that has a healthy team spirit, it can be fun. You'll hopefully end up with a few life long friends and see parts of the world that most people only read about. If you're capable of developing sound management skills, your TEAM will appreciate it and your fitreps will show it. I was fortunate to be on a good ship twice while on AD. In the reserves I experienced a near caine mutiny brewing and then another good command after that one bad experience.

AA75- PM me, I'll make time to speak with you in more detail.

Only a minor edit for effect. Hopefully with very little offense takn by CAM, as our resident beloved SWO. Figuring out the leadership part will do you a lot more good than learning to manage. All that being said, in the school I'm going through right now there seem to be a remarkable number of well adjusted folks who wear black shoes. As much as the NAMI thing sucks, and it does, there is still a lot more fun to be had driving boats. Will it suck at times? Sure. But on the whole I think you're going to enjoy it.

Don't be the bitter asshole Ensign I had the displeasure of talking to today here in Norfolk. He was so sure that his life sucked because he was a boat driver (not what he wanted, apparently) and couldn't see how the Navy could ever be fun. Never mind that he had been underway for exactly 14 days in his entire naval career. The Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate I was drinking with tried to convince the young wayward soul that life would get better but eventually gave up. I think Senior's phrasing was, "fucking ensign" and went back to his Scotch. Don't be that asshole, have a good attitude, and be ready to have fun. JOPA, long may it live, is active in SWO land as well.

Everyone hit it on the head. Just make sure you get that freaking pin, quick!

Just remember: Stab, stab, look, stab.

What do you do if you aren't on an Aegis platform? Even more stabs, less looking?

Doesn't everyone have a hydra on large decks? I think that enters play in this case.

Show up to your first ship with an eye-patch and a bottle of rum. If they get mad, they're pussies.

I was actually already planning on buying a sword so I could be more like Stephen Decatur.

I'll lend you a saber.

Tough crowd here.

Next thing you know, someone will be telling him that when aboard a USN ship the response "Harrr" has replaced "Aye".

A SWO legend may be born from this thread.

Keep your head down, don't say one goddamned thing about "when I was in flight school...", and get your pin as fast as possible. The pin opens up opportunities for redesignation, should you be so inclined, and anyway, nothing bad comes of getting it quickly.

PM me if you have any specific questions on DDGs or RIVRONs/MESF.

Internet's spotty on deployment but I'll try to get to it when I can.

i literally do not understand half of what's written here

what's this "pin" ? and why does everyone hate on SWO so bad?

The pin is the SWO pin (aka Water Wings), that qualified SWOs wear. In order to earn it, you have to finish a bunch of qualifications and demonstrate competency in performing your duties as a Naval Officer. It encompasses a lot of butt pain, but you MUST have it in order to progress in the SWO ranks.

As for why people hate on SWOs, I'll let more experienced officers explain that one.

Use the search feature. Plenty of threads have answered this. A discussion regarding the cons of SWOdom does nothing to aid the purposes of the original poster.

Another piece of advice: don't call them water wings. Nobody calls them that, and the Shoes will give you the stink-eye if you do. It's the "SWO Pin" or just, "the pin," as in, "I need more OOD U/I before I can get my pin, CHENG, why did you leave me off the watchbill?" Or more commonly, "Christ a-mighty, as soon as I get my pin, I'm quitting this fucking circus."

sorry about that, new to the board and posting on boards in general