How do you know when a recruiter is lying? Simple. He is if his mouth is moving. This was a commonly circulated gag around the time of boot camp when we all realized that, unlike the picture painted for us by some local recruiters, we were not going to leave Recruit Training to be the next Top Gun. The vast majority of Navy (and I’m sure other branches too) are honest, hard working men and women who accept their position for a variety of reasons. Some volunteer to complete their shore duty as recruiters because it looks good in a promotion package when going up for E-7 through E-9. Some want to be able to include it in their package when applying for commissioning programs. Some folks just want to serve close to home for a little while. This is important because your recruiter’s motive has a direct impact on the type of guidance you will receive from them.
Let me share with you the experience I had when I was first enlisting. Our local Navy Recruiting Office had hour recruiters on staff, one Chief Petty Officer, one Petty Officer First Class and two Petty Officers Second Class. My recruiter was one of the Second Classes and was a pretty nice guy. From the area, he returned because he wanted to bring his wife and baby daughter near family for the first few years before returning to the fleet. Additionally, he was toying with the idea of applying for a commissioning program and wanted to be able to add “Recruiter” to his resume. He went above and beyond his normal duties by showing me the computer system that is used to advertise billets for sailors who are coming up for orders soon.
At the next desk over there was another Second Class who was a pretty mellow guy. He had shore duty coming to him and wanted to try something different so I volunteered for recruiting. He was as honest as could be and I don’t think he told me a single lie with regards to the Navy. It was the First Class however, that you needed to keep an eye on. He was gunning for Chief, rather, he just wanted to make his promotion official. He already referred to himself as “Chief” and had the uniform all ready and on a hanger, the problem was that he had been passed over for promotion to Chief Petty Officer four times already (as of the writing of this article, he still has not made Chief). His goal was simple, exceed the quota and put as many people in the Navy as he possibly could. His specialty was tricking people with low ASVAB scores into enlisting. I distinctly recall he once had a young man who was working as a bagger at a local grocery store. His ASVAB (so he told me) was just high enough to allow him entry into the Naval Service without requiring a waiver. The guy looked stoned every time I saw him. The guy had one goal in life. To play for the NFL. Were he taller than 5’4″ and weighed more than a buck twenty (soaking wet) he might have been a bit more convincing. In the event the NFL didn’t work out, he reasoned, he would simply become a professional wrestler. But this first class told him that going into the Navy would mean that in less than a year, he could be driving a super fast sport car down the beach in Virginia or Florida.
Right, he could.
Regardless of your view on politics, we are at war. This is a time of war and war means that the military needs boots on the ground. Fortunately, the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard don’t need to go to extreme measures to recruit people. Folks will flock to these branches simply because it means the same benefits as say, the Army and Marines, without having to deploy to the Middle East (usually).
There are some very important things to consider when speaking to a recruiter, whether you are enlisting or applying for commission.
The Military is a means, not an end
The Military can give your life that jumpstart it needs by providing you with free training and discipline. Aside from this, a honorable discharge is always a nice thing to be able to add to your resume. However, as great as all of these things are, they do not do the work for you. Going into the military you have to be resolved to learn from your training. Anyone can pass an “A” School in the Navy, the ones who truly succeed are the people who continue their education after they graduate, striving to improve their skills and become experts in their field.
It isn’t easy
Joining the military is not easy. If you don’t believe me, go to Boot Camp. Tell me during that first week you wouldn’t rather be sitting at home on the couch eating cereal and watching cartoons. Beyond boot camp you will be restricted as to where you can live. If you are single, count on living on the ship or, if stationed on shore (unlikely for your first tour), expect a barracks room. These rooms are hardly the Ritz. Until you make E-5, you can expect to have a roommate. However, once you make E-5, you will also be eligible to move off-base. Some commands permit people as low as E-3 to move off-base depending on the housing situation.
Not Everything Translates
So you’re going in to be a Hospital Corpsman (Medic) and your recruiter told you that this is a great way to break into the Medical Field? Well, you will receive some great training and hands-on experience, but you better count on using that college money to go to school if you intend to continue your work in the civilian field. Hospital Corpsmen are highly trained professionals, however, their training is not recognized by any state for licensure. In the Navy, Corpsmen E-6 and above have the option of applying to become Independent Duty Corpsmen, basically Doctors but without formal medical school. This qualification gets you a job swapping bed pans when you get out, however. If you want the training to translate immediately to a civilian career, check with your state or municipality to ensure that they accept military training.
Contracts
“I have a contract that says I’m going to be a Navy SEAL” No you don’t. You have a contract that guarantees that they will send you to SEAL training. You still can wash out (and many do). Read your contract and you will see that you are only guaranteed a seat in a school, graduation is something you have to work for. If you fail to meet the requirements of that school, you are left in limbo, a person without a school or a rating. If you are lucky you can be assigned another school, if not, you will go to the fleet undesignated and hone your paint chipping skills. Be very careful of what you sign.
When all else fails. Use your brain. If you get a bad vibe when you talk to your recruiter, trust your gut. Military service can be the greatest thing you do with your life or the biggest mistake you ever made. Get off on the right foot and go in with a positive attitude. You can do it, we have faith in you, but be smart about a decision that will impact the rest of your life.
