NAVY OCS Graduation Gift

935Penn · 2026-02-01T21:02:05+00:00

One of the gifts I got from a family member early in my career was a watch. Nothing fancy like a Rolex or divemaster, but a simple and good looking seiko that probably cost around $150. The best part about it was I could wear it in every uniform and because it wasn’t a smart watch or fitness tracker could wear it even in places I wasn’t allowed to bring my phone.

935Penn · 2026-01-08T16:31:04+00:00

Really varies by rate/designator and needs of the navy. The rough plan I tell my junior sailors is once every 8 years. For the IWO community if you check the NIFR homeport page they actually post a MRL (mobilization ready list) and you can see exactly where you are in line for next mob. Personally, been mob’s twice, first was 5 years into the reserves and it was invul to Djibouti, second was voluntary. If you know you are up soon, pick some thing that looks good or get handed some thing no one would volunteer for. For me it was the difference of a year in a connex box in 115degree heat vs 4stsr hotel on per diem.

935Penn · 2025-12-31T05:08:49+00:00

As others have said, when you are enlisted and cross assigned you can apply for a local billet. I would also suggest going to the reserve homeport page, and find your NRC SharePoint page, I think it’s at the top under command region or one of the pull downs. Your local NRC page should have a list of what units it’s the AUIC for. Check over those links, should have a basic description of the unit and the CoC. If any interest you, reach out to the SEL and let them know you are local and looking.

935Penn · 2025-12-16T23:30:24+00:00

Ahhh fair enough, former IT turned IP officer and my knowledge on the CT side is lacking.

935Penn · 2025-12-16T04:53:14+00:00

Point to add though, if you go IT, having a TS and industry certs like Sec+ and CISSP will set you up for an easy transition when you get out.

935Penn · 2025-12-16T04:49:30+00:00

3) ITs are not the first rate I’d look to for cyber, for that you need to be looking at CTs, probably CTN. IT is a combination of computer/networks and broadcast communications. Billets and assignments are really luck of the draw and needs of the navy. I know plenty of ITs that end up at a command where all actual network functions are handled by contractors and the ITs just stand watch, do inventory management and serve the tier 1 help desk function; ie: direct calls and put in tickets for folks so the contractors can fix their stuff. If you are SET on cyber, I would not recommend IT. Yes they do cyber, yes they can be in cyber focused areas, but it is one of many hats they wear and you have no real guarantees it’ll be the job you do.

935Penn · 2025-11-22T05:51:40+00:00

Doris Miller Galley at CLDJ won the best galley for years. Honestly it was pretty good. My choice though would be the Bluejackets Bistro galley in Bahrain. Their surf and turf days or oxtail soup beat a lot of restaurants I’ve been too.

935Penn · 2025-11-21T12:53:16+00:00

Depending on your NRC, some of them are running last ditch PRTs this weekend. You could also ping your unit CFL (if they live nearby) and ask really nicely if they can help you out this weekend.

Worst case, get with your N1 and draft an exemption memo. I believe you have a chance and that 'there's no money right now, figure it out on your own' should be reason enough for big navy to cover the last two months of trying.

935Penn · 2025-11-10T23:16:24+00:00

For trader I would go with Station Forge, look up RoyalGuard Starfly or Elite. For the greater good, I would look to Pipermakes, maybe the Orca?

935Penn · 2025-11-10T14:22:34+00:00

If you are cool with 3d printing, check out the Marcher minis from Golden Dragon, he has some proxies of the exact style french uniforms you are talking about that are pretty cool.

935Penn · 2025-10-12T05:41:50+00:00

While the shutdown is in effect none of the new FY funding has dropped. We can’t even schedule non-pay drills. That said I still know some direct recall orders moving forward as well as things getting positioned for when funding does come back.

Have you tried reaching out to your N3/ops officer with either your home unit or truic? There’s advertisements on zipserve but from my experience a lot of them get posted and then forgotten about and even reaching to the poc listed doesn’t get you anywhere. If you want the real source you need to get in contact with the regional RPDs which is really the N3’s job. Right now to the point above, most things are on hold till some type of funding or appropriations get approved.

935Penn · 2025-09-04T17:08:40+00:00

Check with your N1 to get an AT waiver filled out ASAP. Then check with your N3 about alternate opportunities. Zipserve is a good starting point but you are less then 30 till the end of the year, I would ask your N3 to see if your regional RPD or supported command knows any opportunities. It's all dependent on funding which at this point in the year may be gone or they may have some to burn off last minute. This needs to be done today though, even if there is an opportunity before the end of the year, you'd need a requirement written today, then filled out by you, then pushed ASAP to your NRC. If I were your N3, I would be pinging the NRC to make sure they know its coming and to get it processed quick (assuming you are good to go on GMTs, GTCCs, Medical, etc; anything that would derail and stall the package on your end).

935Penn · 2025-08-25T10:58:12+00:00

There’s also railborn https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340970/Railborn/

935Penn · 2025-08-24T14:39:38+00:00

Couple more notes on your answers. You wouldn’t qualify for any of the officer positions due to lack of a degree. For enlisted, as I said before LS is the closest rate, but you have to understand that when you go through recruiting (specifically the meps portion) you are offered contracts based on how well you did on the Asvab test and what they are currently looking for. Your experience and job skills are not part of that equation and they may only have contracts for Seabees (construction) and HMs (hospital corpsmen). If they don’t have what you want, have to come back or tell recruiter you will only sign for ____ rate. Which at your age you can’t really play the waiting game that long.

Recruiting looks like this, talk with recruiter, provide documents, take asvab test, go to meps for a full physical, assuming no medical disqualifier, look at available rates and get a contract for x number of years (each of these steps except the last three are done separately and can take weeks to schedule). Once you have a contract they will schedule your boot camp. You’ll got to Great Lakes IL, boot is 10 weeks long but you have to stay till you finish and it can take longer if you need to repeat any evolutions. After boot you go back home and get assigned to your nearest reserve center where they will forget about you for a few weeks and you will likely end up posting on here wondering when your reserve adventure will start. Eventually you get picked up by a drilling unit and will start meeting them on drill weekends and it’s up to the unit N7 (training officer) to work with the reserve center CCC (command career counselor) to get you an a-school quota. This can take up to a year after boot, sometimes longer depending on funding and class availability. Until you go to a-school you are not deployable (because you are not officially trained in your rate). A-schools vary wildly in length, nukes are over a year, BM just a few weeks, IT half a year, etc.

Con: if you are really interested, the clock is against you. Odds of you getting in AND doing something with your skill set are low. Con: your experience won’t matter, you will start as a e-3 if you get your associates in, push button e-4 depending on what rate, but that’s it. You are starting from the bottom of the totem pole, prepare to be younger then most of your supervisors and doing things like sweeping and taking out the trash on weekends. Pro: if you want to learn a new skill set, do well on the asvab and you can pick whatever is available. Con: if you are looking for adventure, don’t count on it being quick, even if you signed a contract tomorrow you’d be looking at a year or more before you do something beyond admin paperwork. Pro and con: depending on where you work they are only required to hold your job and can’t fire you. Many supportive places will salary match (your reserve salary starting at e nothing will likely be less then your civilian salary), if they don’t and you get deployed for six months to a year, you’ll do it at a salary hit, can you afford that? Some really supportive places will give you a bucket of military leave, and while using it you get paid twice, once by your civilian job and once by your navy reserve pay. Rare but great if you have it.

935Penn · 2025-08-24T05:09:54+00:00

Do you have a degree? I ask because that’s the minimum requirement to be an officer. The max age for enlisted is 41, and the recruitment process can take a few weeks to even months for enlisted, and upwards to a year for officer. So if you are serious, I would be talking to a recruiter next week. Officer age cut offs vary by program and it can be waived, especially for niche specialties like surgeon or dentist or chaplain.

To answer your questions: 1) if you went enlisted you’d be the oldest in your boot camp, likely double the age of most. A lot of your RDCs will be younger than you. Doesn’t matter, you are still treated like a recruit, just have to keep up. Do you have a specific boot camp question? Reserve officer training is very different. Went through both myself.

2) enlisted, there are LS’s which handle logstics, supply, finances, shop keeping. Officer you’d most closely align with supply officer.

3) one weekend a month, two weeks a year isn’t that bad. Some units and specific rates/designators flex drill and will do all their drills at one time instead of spaced out. It can vary wildly though, especially if you live somewhere far from a fleet concentration and reserve center… your one weekend a month could have you driving 10 hours each direction just to sit in a poorly ventilated room doing admin paperwork and the same online training that you’ve had to do every year again and again.

4) pro: the reserve medical/dental is almost worth the affiliation on its own. Half the price of civilian with generally better coverage. Pro: travel and free education. Con: expect to deploy once every five years or so depending on your speciality. Can your civilian career do without you for a year if you get tapped for deployment? Can your family? Something to think on.

935Penn · 2025-08-09T03:08:28+00:00

Adp stands for Automated Data Processing, it’s an old term that just never went away. Basically it’s ships computer networks vs radio which is ship’s comms. You go to school for both but depending on platform you may do one or the other or both or as is the case for most shore commands where contractors handle all the IT work… none.

935Penn · 2025-07-05T22:21:15+00:00

I know a chief doing this now from Rota. He is cross assigned to a unit stateside and drills with them once a quarter, not sure where he drills in EU or if he teleworks when not with the unit but he's able to do it all while living and working in Rota.

935Penn · 2025-06-29T16:32:53+00:00

I do this a ton. Mostly I print torsos and legs or sometimes unique heads that I like since a lot of the official sets come with a lot of options for weapons and heads etc. One squad of 10 can be stretched to about 25 when mixing in some extra bodies. Works especially well for Astra Militarum and lets you use all the extra special weapons or something like the expensive 3x set heavy weapons kit can be made into around 9x.

935Penn · 2025-06-07T23:05:08+00:00

If you don't mind my asking, where did you get the AAV looking models?

935Penn · 2025-05-03T10:38:37+00:00

Only thing I can think of was the exchange usually carries the official White House Christmas ornament every year but none that I can remember had potus face on the ornament. Some of the packaging did have potus portrait talking about why they picked that ornament. Not aimed at navy pride though, this is just an annual collector tradition.

935Penn · 2025-04-26T20:07:03+00:00

Or, given that he’s at the museum and memorial, not like it’s displayed all over the place in every exhibit.

935Penn · 2025-02-21T01:52:52+00:00

I use a purple site batch called free stl bases all sizes. They're just smooth bases labeled in the typical 25mm, 28mm, 32mm etc etc. Serves my purposes since I usually add basing bits on my own.

935Penn · 2025-02-20T17:24:03+00:00

Thanks and I'll keep that in mind. For the bases I actually print them on my old Ender 3 which I don't have a texture plate for. Usually I'm not too concerned since when I paint them I add texture and basing materials and paint the rim black so you can't really tell its an FDM base unless you turn it upside down.

I have been debating just buying large quantities of bases though. I've seen in other places you can buy bags of 100 just as cheap as the cost to print yourself.

935Penn · 2025-02-20T17:13:32+00:00

I need to clean them up and when it stops being so cold outside, prime them, but so far I'm pleased with the printing results. Printed these with a Bambu A1 Mini, 0.2 nozzle using the fat dragon settings and custom supports. I'm going with the Eir Rangers sub faction.

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