Need Help With U.s. Navy Design

[Heiney]

Hey everyone Im having "artist block" if that's a thing haha. I am in the U.S. Navy and I'm leaving for basic training in January. Before I go I want to tool a journal to take with me to my A-school. I'm thinking of doing a small 3 ring binder set up with the hardware attached to the spine. I chose this set up so that it can be multipurpose (journal, workout log, day planner...) I know I would like to incorporate the anchor but I'm not sure where to go from there.

I thought about a Sheridan style but I think I want this a little more origional, but at the same time I want the "D@MN" factor!

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Thank you and HOOYAH!

[Topsnipe]

First of all, thank you for choosing to Serve!

Secondly, what rating are you going to A-school for? Are you going to be an Airdale ("Naval Aviator" {gratuitous TOPGUN quote!}), Blackshoe (Surface Sailor), or Bubblehead (Sub Sailor)?

Based on which element of the Navy you're headed for, you could use the warfare designation design (google search for Navy Enlisted Warfare Pins) above your chosen rating badge with a fouled anchor in the background. You might even add you rating and name at the bottom; ADAN Heiney (Wingnut rating), GSMFN Heiney (Snipe rating) , etc.

Hope this is helpful and thanks again for you service.

[Heiney]

Thanks for the reply! I am going in as a Nuke, not sure wether I'll get Nuclear MM, EM, or ET as I chooses/get assigned that in basic training and the same goes for subs. Later on after all my schools, when I know what Exact rate I'll be I'll make another full sized one that has my full rate with the symbols.

I also would like to make a binder cover as a motivational folder. Just for those times when you're about to lose yourself you can look in there and remember why you're going down this path.

Are you retired Navy? What's your rate?

Thank you for paving the way for today's sailors.

[Topsnipe]

Good luck in the Nuke word! Pretty tough career field to play in, but keep your head down and maintain a steady strain and you'll have no problem though.

I started my Navy life as an Aviation Machinist's Mate (AD) then cross-rated to the Gas Turbine Technician - Mechanical (GSM) rating when I was a third class. Retired with 21-Years as a GSCS (Gas Turbine Senior Chief Petty Officer).

Here's wishing you "Fair winds and following seas" on your Navy journey.

[Dan28]

I went to boot camp with many future "Nukes". I was one of the last to have boot camp in Orlando Florida before it closed (only 8 companies to go through after mine and they were only a week or two behind me). At the time the Nuke's A-school was located in Orlando too, don't know if that has changed or not. I ended up being a Builder (BU) in the Seabees so I was never on a ship. I was only in for 5 years and was a BU2 (E-5) when I got out.

Really enjoyed my time in. Tend to remember the good times more than the bad. Though if I had stayed in, I would have had 20 years in during this past September. Hard to believe how slow I thought that 5 years was going at the time, and how fast the 15 since I got out have flown by.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Dan28

[Heiney]

Snipe: thank you Chief. I was going to Arizona State for aeronautical engineering before I enlisted so I have a pretty good idea about most of the knowledge... At least I hope haha.

Dan: Boot camp is now in Great Lakes IL. My Nuke school is right outside Charrelston SC. All 2 years of it.

It's a great opportunity because I automatically go to boot camp as E-3 then after my first school (6 months) I auto promote to E-4, then another 10-12 months I'll be offered a 2 year extension of my contract, a 6 figure resign bonus and with another promotion to E-5 before I ever even hit the fleet.

I'm excited to leave and can't wait to say I'm a Unites States Sailor! My dad was also a sailor during Vietnam so we have a good connection through this.

[Dan28]

The Navy used to have three locations for boot camp, that I know of. Great Lakes was always the largest I think. My dad went there in the 60s as well as a buddy of mine who joined at the same time as me. They also had one in San Diego and the one I went to in Orlando. San Diego had closed before I went in.

I knew Nukes had the best reenlistment bonuses as well as the accelerated advancement when I was in, but things change so I wasn't sure if it was still that way. I still keep in touch with a few friends I meant who stayed in and know from them things change a lot.

I didn't think boot camp was that hard. Thou I was in Orlando during their rainy season sucked. It might rain for a minute or two while we were out and we would have to put on our black raincoats, but then the sun would come out and bake us.

Great Lakes in January won't be much fun either as it will be the opposite, extremely cold. Though I spent a few deployments in Bosnia winters living in a tent and a couple short times living in a tent in the Mississipi summer and I'll take the cold over the extreme heat, due to the fact I can layer up in the cold.

[Heiney]

The thing about the Nuke program and subs is you have to volunteer for sub duty in boot camp and I've never been on a sub so I'm not sure. I'm 6'-6'1" and I've been told it'll be a tight fit for me. So I think I'll just stick with a carrier.

I don't think boot camp will be too bad for me other than the cold. I'm from Arizona so the heat is no problem but I've never been in those wet negative temperatures so that will be the worst. Then I arrive in SC just in time for the wet heat haha.

[capsterdog]

I just wanted to say thanks for serving and protecting us. My dad was in the navy in WW II. He was on a LST. I loved to hear his stories if and when he told them. And I have the postcard of his ship that he sent to his father when he was serving. But I do have his journal and navy hand book which I always will treasure. And even his clip board from his ship. I wanted to join the navy after high school. But be an over protective father of his little girl it didn't fly with him.

Well sorry to butt in on your post, just wanted to share my story.

[Heiney]

That's great I love those types of stories. Even as a teenager I got along with adults better than people my age. I used to sit around and listen for as long as they would share.

On another note I got a design and tooled it all up but now I need to figure out the inside. I don't know how to screw down the hardware and do the "hinges". Any suggestions?

[Heiney]

I was going to use Chicago screws to attach the hardware to the liner so that the screws don't go all the way through the spine.

The finished piece is what I'm going off of.

[Wade D]

Hey there, Heiney,

I was a Nuke in the Navy, also (and I'm also from AZ!).

I started boot camp 18 years ago tomorrow, and Boot Camp was solely in Great Lakes, IL by then. Our A-School and Power School was down in Orlando, FL. How long your A-School takes will depend on whether you're an EM, MM, or ET. When I went through, I requested the ET rating, and they gave me the EM rating. Anybody that asked for MM pretty much got it. I started A-School down there in January '97 (it's 16 weeks, finished May '97), and I finished Power School (24 weeks) around January of '98. When I Went through, Prototype was either in Ballston Spa, NY, or Charleston, SC. Apparently everything's down in Charleston now: A-School, Power School, Prototype. I finished Prototype July 31, '98, and when we filled out our dream sheet for where we wanted our first assignment, I requested a sub out of San Diego (my dad was a retired bubblehead, and he was west coast his whole career). Well, they sent me to the IKE out of Virginia (opposite coast, opposite side of the water).

The training is extremely rigorous and intense, to be sure! I Wont' go into the gory details (don't want to dissuade you from following your chosen path), but the studying is rough. You'll learn come March or April what 30-5 study hours are... If you want some advice on it, hit me up with a PM.

As to a design for your journal, you could try the nuclear trefoil symbol that they use on radiation warnings.It looks something like this:

Other than that, you could just make the design something personal.

If you want to include a fouled anchor, you could do one of these:

or these:

Maybe they could overlap, or one could be the front of the journal, one the back, or something like that.

Hope those ideas help somewhat. gain, if you want any advice regarding boot camp or the Nuke program, hit me up with a PM (though keep in mind I went through it well over 15 years ago now).

~Wade

Oh, I didn't even realize you'd already tooled up the design. And it looks awesome, by the way!

[capsterdog]

When I did a binder a few years back I found screws that were the same threading as the conchos I used and it worked great. I also used a small washer. the concho gave it a little bling on the spine and it holds well with some loc tight.