Naval Enlistment: Signing Up

Walking into a Navy recruitment office is not unlike walking into a car dealership. When you step into a recruiting station, you'll immediately be greeted by sharp-minded, neatly uniformed recruiters. Armed with a plethora of Navy facts and literature (not to mention gifts like Navy pens and Frisbees) these enthusiastic recruiters will give you their best Navy pitch.

If you're between the ages of 18-34 (17 with parental consent), you can take the Naval test drive. This begins with an informal interview where you and the recruiter talk about the basics. The most common question answered is: What exactly is enlistment? Quite simply, enlistment means joining the Navy on a non-officer track. The requirements for enlistment are much less demanding than those of NROTC, the Naval Academy, and direct appointment -- all of which are officer-training programs. You just need a high-school diploma or equivalent, and must take exams to ensure that you're mentally, physically, and morally capable. One of these is the Armed Services Vocation Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which helps determine where your interests and strengths lie, and what sort of jobs the Navy can offer you.

After signing on the dotted line, the commitment begins with primary training -- the Navy's boot camp -- at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago. In the words of one enlisted member, this eight-week program "breaks you down as a civilian and builds you up as a team." On an average day, you're up before oh-five-hundred and spend many hours in rigorous workouts, academic and military training, and communal meals, not bedding down in your narrow cot until after dark.

Once you sign up, you become an E-1, or seaman recruit, with the chance to climb a rank every couple of years. Along with this title you'll get a job, extensive training, global career options, room and board while on active duty, and 30 days of vacation each year. You and your family receive free medical care and discounted insurance, as well as access to the Morale Welfare and Recreation Office -- a treasure of travel and entertainment discounts. Another benefit of joining the Navy is its dedication to education. One example of this is the Montgomery G.I. Bill. Open to all first-time enlistees, the G.I. Bill requires that you pay $100 a month for the first 12 months of enlistment. Then, when your active duty is finished, the Navy will give you $23,400 toward a degree program. All enlistees who earn a college degree are eligible to become officers. To do this, they apply to Officer Candidate School, just as any college grad can do. This 13-week program is similar to primary training, but with the ultimate prize of an officer's patch.