Navy nuke transfer to aviation rate??

[MCraider09]

well ni posted on here way back when i first enlisted, i had originally enlisted as an aw, bout 5 months prior to shipping my recruiter pulled out the " your future would be so much better as a nuke..." and i signed a new contract as a nuke, currently i am almost done with power school, i hate it , lol its alot of school and from what i hear nukes catch alot of shit once they get to the fleet, maybe im wrong, and bein my dad is a retited AMC he says the same, now i don't think they allow nukes to cross rate. and i dont really want to try to get med dropped or get masted to get outi just wanna know if there are any legal channels to go through to get to the aviation community? any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
-MM3

 

[EM1]

You're right, you cant cross rate. Even if you fail out, they'll send you out as a conventional MM. They've spent far too much money training you at this point. Also working against you is that you're going from a critically undermanned rate to an overmanned one.

FWIW-hated school and the first year on my boat. Got qualified, and had such a blast for the next 5 years I spent at sea I'm going back. Evaluate what you think of nuke from the fleet, not a power school classroom.

If you want aviation now, the only way would be as an Officer via STA-21 or similar. But that requires you to put a game face on and be top of your community, no matter how much you dislike it.

 

[wlawr005]

hmm...Nukes are in high demand, and for the most part aviation rates are overmanned. Any switch that you make will be solely based on the needs of the Navy, and from what I can tell, you are on the wrong end of that need. The only thing you can do is speak with your career counselor at Power School and see what they say. If you don't think that NCC is being straight with you, maybe you can talk to an NCC at another command just to get an idea about what your options are.

There were two STA-21 selectees from Power School in my year group, both had less than two years active duty and both went to the Nurse Corps. Maybe STA-21 is an option for you.

Short answer, I think you better start finding things you like about the Nuke community, I think you're gonna be there for a while.

 

[EM1]

To the switching based on Navy need. Had a friend in power school who wanted BUDS. Even though SEALS are undermanned, they refused to let him go.

If you look at cross rate instructions (and many other things) "nukes need not apply" is a main theme. Get used to it.

 

[insanebikerboy]

The only way you can get out of the nuke field is to actually get out of the Navy or get picked up for some sort of officer program. Once a nuke always a nuke. If you're out of the nuke field for more than two years you lose your pro-pay (i.e., recruiting duty), or at least that's how it was when I was in the field.

Anecdotal story, I tried out for and was accepted for the D.C. ceremonial guard in boot camp, once they found out the Chief that came down to do the interviews told me he was sorry but they won't ever let a nuke go to another program.

 

[Spekkio]

To the switching based on Navy need. Had a friend in power school who wanted BUDS. Even though SEALS are undermanned, they refused to let him go.

If you look at cross rate instructions (and many other things) "nukes need not apply" is a main theme. Get used to it.

Nukes were actually fat for DH tours this year, so in that case lat xferring would be a possibility. This isn't the norm, though. However, if aviation is also fat then you won't be able to do it.

Anything in the Navy is possible as long as you obtain the right paperwork.

EDIT: oops, didn't realize you were talking about enlisted cross-rate. Disregard.

 

[The Chief]

Loud and clear. I have heard this story so many times.

There is but one way out. That is to do the best you possibly can in all you do. Look in the mirror every day and be able to say to the fellow looking back at you that are doing your best. The Navy needs you where you are, you volunteered. Enough said.

Come back every so often and tell us how you are doing. In time finish your education, get your "degree", onward and upward. Do not cop out.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[Bevo16]

I flunked out of Power School as a week 5 autodrop (grades were so bad, I didn't even get a board). 14 months later, I was a freshman at Texas in the ROTC program after putting in a package from conventional MM school in Groton.

It may not be the "best" way to do things, but don't buy the horseshit they sell in nuke school that if you flunk out you are going to spend the next 6 years of your life chipping paint and scraping barnacles. Plenty of smart kids drop from nuke school every year, and most of them go on to very successful enlistments. Now, since you passed A school, you already have a rate so you would be bound for a conventional A school if you dropped. If you are doing well in class, your fastest route is going to be to start carpet bombing STA-21 packages.

If you don't complete, it ain't over. Trust me.

I hear some things have changed, but that place was hell when I was there. The cheif's mess was totally jacked up, and they really just existed to torture and fuck with the students. My power school class 0702-9 set the all time record for attrition. Of the 32 students in the section on day 1, only 6 graduated. We actually had more students attempt suicide (although most were just for show to get out of the program) than graduate.

 

[boobcheese]

My power school class 0702-9

You were in power school in 07'?

 

[EM1]

IF they suspect he's purposely throwing the grades they'll take him to mast for it. Just failing out is one thing. Purposely failing is another.

For a STA-21 package he'd have to explain the failure and how dealing with overloaded course schedules won't effect his ability to make it through school in 3 years.

 

[wlawr005]

Would have to say that since Bevo is a WINGED LT most likely on his FIRST SHORE TOUR, that he most definately DID NOT get picked up for ROTC in 2007.

 

[EM1]

Oops!

Class numbers are year-class. So, I was 00-04 (year 2000, class 04). The class number threw me off and I didnt even think about the rest.

Sorry.

 

[The Chief]

.... If you are doing well in class, your fastest route is going to be to start carpet bombing STA-21 packages.

Agree. Further agree that flunking out does not mean it is over. I did not mean to imply that being unable to complete enlisted Nuke Power School would preclude one from becoming an Officer thru programs, such as, STA21, BDCP, NROTC. Good friend, classmate in ET school flunked out of ET school because he simply could not hack the math. He retired after 30 years as an O-5, another that completed the school had to settle for retiring after 18 as an E-9. My focus was on “dropping” from school and then expecting to cross-rate from MM3 to an enlisted AW rate. Anything possible I guess, however unlikely.

...... The cheif's mess was totally jacked up, and they really just existed to torture and fuck with the students ....

It is sad, so sad to hear of the terrible state of the CPO mess. Back in the day, Chiefs did all they could to help their sailors succeed. Things mut have indeed changed. Sure we had our quota of 10 percent bad apples in the mess, but in time they were dealt with. The Chiefs and appropriate Officers stepped up to the plate and took care of business. Sounds like today those that should are practicing “duck and cover”. I do, from a number of sources hear recurrent failures in of the CPO mess. Sad. Fixing it is up to you guys. Your responsibility.

 

[wlawr005]

It is sad, so sad to hear of the terrible state of the CPO mess. Back in the day, Chiefs did all they could to help their sailors succeed. Things mut have indeed changed. Sure we had our quota of 10 percent bad apples in the mess, but in time they were dealt with. The Chiefs and appropriate Officers stepped up to the plate and took care of business. Sounds like today those that should are practicing “duck and cover”. I do, from a number of sources hear recurrent failures in of the CPO mess. Sad. Fixing it is up to you guys. Your responsibility.

[Threadjack]

Speaking of this, here in soon-to-be officer land, we consistently hear stories about the important relationship between a Chief and a Divo/DH, etc. It basically boils down to a strong relationship between the two makes a great Division/Department. Are there any tips/hints to being the type of Divo a Chief does/does not want to see? I would especially like to hear any advice regarding being a good Divo and ways to support your Chief when dealing with the upper chain of command.

 

[Bevo16]

I mistyped my class number. It was 9702-9 (as in 1997). What's a decade between friends? I graduated boot camp September 13th 1996. My MM "A" school class was 9652-B before getting medically rolled into 9701-B. I got a wicked case of strep throat that had me down hard for a couple of weeks.

As for the Div-O/JO relationship, I have to say that the dynamic has to be way different than it was when I got started in this operation 14 years ago. It's not exactly earth shattering news to report that there are some Navy-wide issues in the Chief's mess. IMHO, there are a lot of chiefs that spent the first half of their career trying to become a chief and are spending the second half strutting around expecting everyone to bow to their anchors instead of actually BEING the chief. I have had a few good ones, and a few bad ones. Maybe it's just shore duty mentality, but most of the senior enlisted in my outfit are solidly on the ROAD program.