Navy Reserves..what do you know? Any in Iraq?

[Mari333]

My youngest son is signing up. Ive been perusing the net, cant find much.
I want to believe he will be safer then if he joined any other branch of the military.
and no, I cant talk him out of it.

[Don_G]

1. No Idea Offhand

The SeaBees "might" be involved in a support capacity.

Other than that, you might try to PM HawkerHurricane. He's currently serving in the Navy and would have a better idea than most of us here.

[Mari333]

2. Oh ya Hawker...thanks...Ill ask him

If my son is going to sign up in anything, I guess the Navy Reserves is the safest bet.

[Blue Wally]

28. Navy Reserve

We had a Navy Reserve SeaBee (construction) Unit here in Florida activatated and sent to Iraq. They suffered casualties to include a couple of KIA. Fifty per cent of the navy medical field work in support of the Marines.

[greblc]

3. Navy Corpman

Navy Corpman(Medics) suport the Marine Corps in Combat. Some of them may be reservist. Sea Bees could support Combat operations but are more likely maintaining harbor areas. Posibly River Patrols but I think the Marine
Corps operates in that capacity now.

What is his MOS (job)?

[Mari333]

5. He is signing up tomorrow

He wants to be in communications, or , as he puts it, "waving the flags" for planes..hes been studying for his small plane pilots lisence and almost has it.
I guess Im not as concerned about the Navy Reserves as I would be if he was doing anything else (Marines, Army, etc), but I just posted this thread for some peace of mind..dont want to go thru another year after year of wondering if another one is going to Iraq on the ground.....

[lpbk2713]

26. FWIW. That sounds like a Landing Signal Officer (LSO) on a carrier.

He's not in communications, he's a senior pilot whose job it is to guide an aircraft on the final approach to a carrier landing. He "grades" every landing and reviews them with the pilots in a briefing after all the planes have landed.

[Snoggera]

4. I have learned to care about your family very much

and hope only the best.

I am lucky, I guess, because I have no relatives, not one, in that situation. Damn, I could be a senator!

I still pray (in my own way) for your family's happiness.

[Mari333]

8. lol ya no kidding..the Congress just waves their magic wand

of money and none of their kids go anywhere...(((hugs to you))))

[Snoggera]

6. May I ask why? After all your family has been through?

why would that happen?

It doesn't make sense.

edit: big hugs to you and yours!

[PaDUer]

9. That's the way I think also...

is the military a Michigan thing or what? What's going on in Michigan that young people are doing this?

[PaDUer]

7. WHY, Mari, why?? n/t

[Mari333]

11. He wants to. I dont know what else to say.

He detests Bush, saw Farenheit 9/11, is against the war in Iraq, but wants to join the Navy Reserves. His older brother was in the National Guard and says it will be good for him. My youngest son says he needs to "do" something with his life, and the unemployment rate here is 10 percent. He doesnt want to work at McDonalds.
I told him what about college? But he wants to do it (maybe because his older brother did)
I think its pretty safe, the Navy Reserves. Until I have some hard data, anyway.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

14. Hey, being from Michigan did you find F9/11 to have any special resonance

for you? Aside from having a kid there of course. I don't know if you are anywhere near Flint.

[Mari333]

18. I saw it twice....and it broke my heart

when Lisa Lipscomb was talking about how she fell on the floor..I watched my husband cringe as he watched the soldiers, wounded, being dragged out on stretchers..he had a hard time watching that..
I am especially concerned with the new images that might come out about the torture and rape of children at Abu Ghraib..for a while, I was thinking Michael might be safe there, somewhat, because it was getting so much media attention..
Now, if those pics come out, he may be a sitting duck..
That really concerns me. I wont even tell my husband how concerned I am.
(No Im not real near Flint)

[PaDUer]

15. Mari, you know my heart aches for you

and your family. We've all read the posts you've written, and I'm sure others are going to be as shocked as I am right now..I'd get some college catalogs quickly and send those applications in for the upcoming fall semesters. You said "maybe because his older brother did), what must be going through his head? Something is amiss...

[Mari333]

20. He wants "structure" in his life, he says

and he is the youngest..a bit more spoiled then the other two..he says he wants to be a man...hes going thru some "man" thing. I told him "just go do Outward Bound" or something.
He says he wants to do it, so I cant stop him. At least I know hes not in the Marines or the Army. That would really knock me out. He is very close to his older brother.
They are both assuring me he will be safe, and can choose to go to boot camp AFTER Bush is thrown out of office.
If I balk too much about it, he will do it for sure.

[PaDUer]

22. What does your husband have to say

about this? Was your son working a job now? Maybe he ought to wait til the goonsquad has vacated the WH before he signs on that dotted line and reads the fine print.

[Mari333]

24. My husband just says "they have to choose for themselves"

like I said..the Navy Reserves seem pretty safe..compared to the other branches of the military...he has any number of reasons he wants to join..to learn structure, to make some monies, to keep from getting into trouble ( which has happened to him in the past), to hang around with guys he admires as "men"...like I said, its some kind of 21 yr old guy thing..
I think Jospeh Campbell calls it the Heros Journey..I had to come to terms with the concept when my oldest signed up in the Guard...
Its some societal need for boys to have a journey to go thru to find themselves as warriors or something..
I still wish he would just go to Outward Bound, but its his life.

[Snoggera]

16. Well, he's right about that

I wish you so much goodness and hope.

Jebus.

Thank you for letting all know what is happening with a "regular" family.

I think all DU'ers wish you well, and wish you happiness. It will happen. It's only a matter of time.

I would talk your relatives out of joining any branch of the service at this point in time. They should wait to see how things shake out in November.

There will still be unemployment, but there will always be ways to survive in America. It's much less questionable than signing one's name on a line for a committment of years to do the bidding of the war president.

It still doesn't make sense. Things must be really, really bad. To the point that young people have no options. Is that true?

[haele]

10. Mostly field corpsmen with the marines...

Though there's some crypto, computer/networking, communications and staff types that are probably there as communications/logistical/staff support in the green areas.

And of course, the SEALs and UDT/MIUW, special ops and underwater demolition units and their supporting commands.

Chances are, unless he's got a background in medical or has some specialty picked up in the civilan world in the above fields he'll probably remain stateside as a backup for the active duty componants that will be forward deployed.

Haele

[Mari333]

12. Good!!!! let him stay stateside!! =))) thanks

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

13. Probably depends on what he does. If he is in medical, like a hospital

corpsman (who are attached to Marine units and are their medics), then he could be right there on the ground with the Marines, in Falluja and whereever. If he is almost anything else (aside from being a SEAL) he probably has little chance of winding up "in country" there.

[Mari333]

17. yay! He isnt in the medical field and I know hes not interested

in that. He just wants to be in the Navy Reserves for some odd reason..actually, he was VERY concerned about my well being...and thats why he chose the Navy Reserves..his brother, who is pretty savvy,is going with him tomorrow to make sure hes treated really really well...
and not talked "into" anything.
I feel like my house is a military headquarters and Im an anti war activist.
I sort of wish I would have moved all my sons out of the US when they were little kids!
=)THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

[Berserker]

19. Being a old Navy man myself

It's the best place you could be. But if he wants to work on a bird farm ( Carrier) it's up to him but I will say it's a very dangerous job.

[Mari333]

21. Thank you. I guess a lot of jobs are dangerous

but if hes not in Iraq, I will be very very glad.
His great uncle was in the Navy, and killed at Pearl Harbor. He is impressed by the family history. I tried to tell him "Ya, but a lot of them were farmers!! be a farmer!!"
Oh well. Thank you.

[seabeyond]

23. why whY wHy...............

i dont understand. your son is watching his brother and less than positive experience. he is hearing everything about bush lieing about the war. he is seeing the hardship on you

why oh why is he doing this.
just curious, i dont get it

and i am sorry you are having to go thru this with another

[Mari333]

25. well he was concerned enough to say Navy Reserves

instead of anything else..he knew I would freak out about the army or the marines..
I sure am glad my middle son is in college and is an anti war activist in Seattle! at least I wont have to be concerned about him doing this too..

[Pepperbelly]

27. my son is leaving for bootcamp today ...

Despite all of the advice that I, as his father and a Navy vet, gave him.

:(

[BlueCollar]

29. Ex Navy here

All branches of the forces have their dangers but on balance a sailor stands a pretty good chance of making it through a tour without being shot at.

Sailors don't ride around in tanks or drop in to war zones in helicopters...unless they choose to...i.e. medic or seebee which has already been covered.

I was in fleet aviation...aircraft mechanic...plenty of ways to get hurt there...jet intakes/spinning propellors etc...

If he wants to wave flags he should be a signalman...tough rating to get into though...

I think he's cast a wise choice...don't worry...he'll be OK...

Only Navy in Iraq that I know of are mostly in Port in Kuwait...generally though the Navy is keeping its ships at sea as much as possible...

Believe me when I tell you that sailors look out for each other...

Hope that helps...

[sbj405]

30. DOD Press Release of Reserve Units Mobilized (link)

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2004/nr20040630-0954.html

There are units in all branches of service. I don't think this necessarily means they are deployed to Iraq, but rather in support of.