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[finn]

thank him for serving our country and GOD bless him, from myself and family                                                                                                               served 1969 - 1975

[Royalroadie]

You and you son have our prayers.   I can sympathize on your conflicted feeling. I sent my daughter off   to the Navy 5 years ago.  I was truly worried about where she would end up.   I am sure you are quite proud to have your son serving, but as a parent, you will always worry.    I also have a son in law that is married to my other daughter who is a career Marine.  I worry about both but all you can do is pray and encourage them to get the most out of the experience.   
My oldest daughter signed up, and waited for 9 months,  for a very tough program, and I kept telling her she had to make the grade or she could end up somewhere like the USS Cole in Yemen.    She made the cut and the program  she signed up for. It was probably the best thing that could happen for her.    She has 1 year left before she gets out but the training and education was well worth it.   If your son can take advantage of continuing education toward a degree while he is in, I strongly suggest it.   Instead of going out partying as most of the enlisted do, after about  2 years in, she buckled down and took full advantage of educations programs that did not use her GI bill.   She just graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degress in IT.    She can still use her GI bill for more advance study.   As she says they used her and she used them, and both got a great deal!    GODSPEED

[FLSTFI Dave]

TXGator,

Will send prayers for your son.  However congratulations are in order.  Takes a lot to score high enough to be a Nuke.  I am a nuke drop, due to a DUI three weeks before Nuke power graduation. 

He will learn very valuable skills that will serve him very well though life, and enable him to land very good civilian jobs.

My wife and I are both retired Navy.  My Navy skills have enabled me to land extremely good jobs.

[TXGator]

Thanks Dave,  I think we are lucky in the fact that Justin got his temperament from his mother and we are confident that he will be able to avoid those types of bumps in the road.  He doesn't (so far) have any interests in the things that could cause him to slip, but we all know how quickly that can change.   I have tried to make it clear that with the high washout rate in the Nuke program, if something were to happen and he had to change his plans, it's not the end of the world.  Your success is a prime example of that.

Thanks to you and your wife for your service as well.

[2k]

Only drawback to being a Nuke is can't be a Airdale, which as everyone knows is the BEST!!!       

All kidding aside congrats to you and your son....because -- Nuke School + no trouble = Big Buck Job on outside, not to mention clean. But make sure you let him know, washing out or having a bump in the road doesn't mean failure........keep Daves post for reference, even though it won't be needed.               

[North Georgia Hawg]

Gator - best wishes for your son, and Congratulations! He can have a great military career ahead of him if he studies hard and stays on track.

Reading all of these posts is pretty humbling. I never served (wish I had), but I have great respect for all those who have, and for all those who are serving today in our all-volunteer Armed Forces.

I have a young friend who is a Drill Sergeant at Camp Jackson. Tough young buck, skinny as a rail, who has 3 tours in the Middle East as a Combat Engineer under his belt - blowing up IEDs and stuff, and some raids and other activities. He's been shot at, but he acts as if it were nothing. Tremendous bravery! He's shipping out to Germany next year for a tour there. He took me on a tour of Camp Jackson last summer, and it was pretty inspiring to see all of the young men and women in training there.

Again, Congrats on your son's accomplishment!

Ken

[TXGator]

Thanks everyone.  We take him to final swear in tomorrow.  It is really settling in and is starting to suck.  I never thought I would think about it this way... 

[FLSTFI Dave]

Thanks everyone.  We take him to final swear in tomorrow.  It is really settling in and is starting to suck.  I never thought I would think about it this way...

Well, in time you will be very Proud and look at it differently, my parents hated it when I left for boot camp.  After several years they bragged about me, and what I did in the service and were very proud.

Mom pinned my Anchors on when I made Chief in just 8 years 7 months, rather rare, especially with a being a drop, and the reason for the drop.

I was 38 years old first time I ever saw my dad cry, it was at my Retirement ceremony, when I handed him my folded retirement flag.  The only other time I have seen him cry was when my mom passed this year, after 54 years of marriage.

The service is a good thing.  It really teaches young men and women a lot. 

I have been accused of being discriminatory when I hire.  That is because I always look for veterans.  I know they know what it is to be on time, they do not know what a sick day is, they can be trained, they can follow instructions.  They make great people to have working for you because they are reliable and can be counted on.

[2 ROSE]

The service is a good thing.  It really teaches young men and women a lot. 

I have been accused of being discriminatory when I hire.  That is because I always look for veterans.  I know they know what it is to be on time, they do not know what a sick day is, they can be trained, they can follow instructions.  They make great people to have working for you because they are reliable and can be counted on.

Dave I like what you say about our veterans. You hear so many stories of the troubles that our young people who have fought for this country have when they return home trying to find their way in society. And thats a good thing meaning that the trying times these kids endure are being brought to the attention of us all. I have never served this great nation but have had three sons who served some in the USMC. So for them and all of our veterans I thank you for doing your small part to help those who keep us safe. Keep up the great work and attitude.