r/navyreserve

Just the above?

Hello all,

I am a 6 year navy sailor with 4 years active 2 reserve. I am planning to commission with a bachelors in Criminal Justice yet I’m really struggling on what branch to commission in as a reserve officer. I have no attachment to any specific branch, I just enjoy mentoring junior personnel. My goal is intel but I’d be willing to go anywhere I can to commission. My civilian career is much more important to me.

What branch offers the best opportunities for growth and has a pretty good pipeline to commission? I have started packages with the Marine Reserves and Coast guard reserves so far but I’m curious if anyone has experience or recommendations.

Thanks.

Hello,

BLUF: Applying again for Navy Reserves DCO, age 41, prior service Army Guard, master's degree (international affairs & entrepreneurship), Ukraine war civil affairs experience, former football team co-captain, 8th generation Navy. Looking at realistic options to apply for DCO such as Intel, Logistics, and Public Affairs. My primary goal is to earn a commission and work with great people; I care less about the specific branch I'd commission into. I think most of us applying for DCO want to make a positive impact regardless of what we branch into.

In 2017 I applied for the Intel DCO position during my final year of grad school at the University of Washington. I was not selected and had no idea just how competitive it was -- and I even had an admiral who was my mentor endorse me.

In 2018 I applied (and was selected) for the AF Pararescue Reserve as combat rescue officer civilian candidate, but I failed out before phase 2 in the drown proofing/water portion. Extra hard since I surf and enjoy the water 😞

In 2022 I volunteered 3x in Ukraine during the war, serving in what would best be described as a Civil Affairs role -- training their military, evacuating refugees, running logistics, and a brief stint working with their SBU intel unit. Very rewarding experience.

In 2023 I sought to again apply for DCO, and the officer recruiter insisted I apply only for SO (SEAL officer) and he scrapped my intel and logistics packet... "burn the ships" he said. Good idea in theory but i didn't even have a single ship at that point. At my age and with my PT scores (great for an older guy but didn't hold a candle to the young 20-year-old studs applying) I was not selected to go to selection.

In 2024 I applied for the Coast Guard Reserve Officer, and was selected by the board (Woo!?) but was DQ'd by MEPS for an arrest (over 20 years ago) and my high VA rating service-connected disabilities (thank you Army) which would have no impact for me to perform the duties in the Navy. I was also told by others that the CG can be the pickiest and the Navy is more willing to give waivers.

At this stage, I am 41 years old and this would be my last shot I believe to earn a commission and continue to serve. I want to put forth my best packet and would appreciate any advice and info from those who have gone before. Very respectfully,

- Branden

I really need some advice. I am 34 years old, almost 35 years old. I enlisted today in the Navy because I was told it would be years before I was able to get a direct commission with a college degree. I am going back to school for a BSN and eventually a DNAP.

I initially wanted reserves and had zero interest in active duty. I got talked into TAR, then when I got to MEPS I got denied a TAR contract because they said that they were too unmanned to write those.

Ive been in a desperate situation since March when I fled my husband and domestic violence and despite having a civilian job as an operations manager, I am only making $22 bucks an hour. I have been sleeping in my car since mid-March and I am desperate as its getting hot. I didnt tell them this, but I figured I could use active duty to stabilize my life. I reluctantly got talked into Corpsman.

I have 13 years of nursing experience, but not a BSN. I left MEPS and instantly wanted to bawl when I saw essentially the job description is a CNA/EMT. Those are admirable professions, but in the opposite direction I am wanting to move. I have been reassured if I finish my BSN Program that I can apply for a nurse billet, but all the programs I've called do not have the flexibility to work with weekend clinicals only. This is the entire reason I joined was for:

1. Stability

2. To pay for school​​​​​

I am now wondering if I should back out of DEP and go to the Tennessee National Guard because I could get done with school faster, and just live like shit in a camper while I do. I would love advice on how to strategically get to my goal, if at all, with my current choice since I already joined, or if I should go ahead and back out.

I keep hearing this. Is it actually full for both enlisted and officers?

Quick question in regards to keeping specific speciality within the nursing community. If you are say an ER nurse within the Navy. How many hours do you need to maintain that speciality? If I decided to work in a different field like Interventional Radiology and want to maintain my ER speciality. What are the requirements? If I get a PRN ED position, how many hours would I need to work? Also, how often do you need to do the credentialing process while you are in? I appreciate the help!

Built this for veterans to see every single possible benefit they're eligible for based on a few questions, no account, no paywall, no sign up, just results. I add every benefit manually and accept feedback on everything!

I'm a newly commissioned ENS, being gained to my unit currently, and I'm still not quite sure how mobilizations work within the CEC. I was told during my interview from before selection that there's 5 battalions and 1 of them is always on mobilization. They basically rotate every year, so a new CB is mobilized.

This is where I'm getting confused. What are the current schedules for mobilization for the CEC and Is there some planned out mobilization schedule? I have 2 associates of mine who did 8 years and never mobilized. And just one that did mobilize. All CEC officers. But the one who mobilized said she didn't really know why the other 2 didn't get mobilized, they said they didn't know either, just that a lot of people volunteer and want to go.

Here's my reasoning for asking this question. I, of course, signed up knowing that when called upon, I will mobilize. No problem with that at all. I did, however, join the reserves and not AD because I want to serve at a reserve capacity and "ideally" not mobilize. Once again restating here that I have no issue getting mobilized, let me make that clear. But avoiding it is preferable. I have no prior service. I'm just a civil engineer on the civilian side that genuinely wanted to join the navy reserves and serve at this capacity. I have many years of experience and feel like I could be contributing more, hence I joined.

Good afternoon, Shipmates. I served on active duty for 13 years and then went SELRES. I left active duty for service connected mental and physical health reasons. They have since worsened. My plan is to just get out at my EAOS just shy of 19 years. But I am curious if there are other options like drilling for points only, VTU, medical retirement, etc. If anyone has any guidance and mentorship, I would be truly grateful for anyone's time. Hooyah.

Hello! I’m 27 (Female) and interested in the reserves, I’m just not sure which branch the best decision.
I’m currently a security officer and a part time student studying Cyber Security and Fire Science (Fire Fighting/EMT). I’m currently working with my Security company to develop AI security tools. So a career in that path is an open door on the civilian side. I’m just really passionate about joining the military and it’s been something I’ve wanted to do since high school.

I study Cyber Security part time through online courses but my actual degree is in fire science. In the future in either want to be a Fire Fighter with a cyber security/AI development side gig. My ASVAB score is a 37. I do plan on retesting for a higher score.

I talked to both Army and Navy recruiters, Navy said they don’t have any reserve jobs available and is pushing me to go active. (Is the lack of jobs true?)
Army recruiter made everything sound good but his timing for getting me processed is extremely slow. The navy recruiter has my packet done and just needs to file one more doctor’s note and send everything off to MEPS.

I’m just looking for something that is good for the civilian side as far as school and my career goals as well as there being deployment opportunities when available because I’d still love to have some adventure.

Just trying to make a friendly PSA. At my large command we are seeing WAY more BCA failures.

Know your numbers, know your numbers, KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!

and if you won’t pass the BCA prepare now to max the PRT.

Use the NavyOfficialPFA app you can download and plug in all your numbers.

Here are some tips and I encourage other people to post any others:

1: Do pushups to do more pushups... do some every or every other day. They are quick and easy. You can start with small sets throughout the day and expand the number.

To easily go above my max, I was doing pyramids to 50 (set of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10) with one min rest between.

RADM Frost pumped out about 10,000 pushups in a few weeks for the Army Navy game. His secret? Sets of 25 throughout the day and he ain’t no spring chicken!

2. Planks are a mindset. Work up to doing 1-2 sets of 2:00-2:30 every two to three days. Then day of.. you just need to put music on and tough it out to 3:30. Practice doing 66% and tough through the other 33%. Everyone I know who maxes adopts the same methodology.

3. Google, YouTube, or talk to people who max a cardio modality.

I row, row is TOUGH but way easier to max than run.

The bike is a TRAP if you’re trying to max unless you are an avid biker.

For row .. tons of videos but it’s leg, body, arms and arms, body, legs. Practice on a concept2 machine and stick to a drag factor around 125-127 (5-5.5 on wheel). You can also buy a used concept2 (or new) for pretty cheap. I use mine at home 2-3 times a week.

I have the Peloton App (gives military discount) for rowing. They also have running, biking and more on it.

For running I use the Runna app, tons of goals and plans you can setup. It gives you pace targets and more.

About a week ago, I posted about the site I created that showed veterans every single benefit they're eligible for, completely free, no account required. This sub was responsible for getting this resource in front of thousands of new veterans and my feedback dashboard showed a ton of extremely positive feedback so thank you for that!!

I've just added what will be the final feature added for a good while outside of adding additional benefits and resources and addressing ongoing feedback. I'm building out a professionals network comprised of exclusively real estate agents, therapists, lawyers, financial advisors, and accountants who specifically specialize in veteran affairs.

Everyone hates looking for professionals like this because you sign up for one and get bombarded with calls for solicitation. Since I'm the only one working on this, I'll be personally vetting (excuse the pun) every single professional before allowing their contact card on the site to ensure maximum integrity.

If you know of anyone or worked with anyone personally that meets these criteria for your state/area,, I highly encourage them to apply for this.

It goes without saying that veterans looking for these professionals on the site will be able to do so completely free, I maintain my original rule of not letting vets pay for finding these benefits or professionals in their state. Its pretty sparse for now since I just launched it but the more professionals that sign up, the more valuable this feature becomes nationwide.

Feedback accepted as always!! Trying to get this thing super dialed in.

Some people have said you can’t be in any military service. I am interested in the direct commission officer path. The recruiter i spoke to knew about the meds and he said we can get a waiver for it. But a coworker of mine told me it’s a hard no to be on any prescription meds while being in armed forces.

I have functional adhd and anxiety. I went through all of college and grad school and got an mba from a top ranked university. So i could probably get off them. If so, how long do you have to wait before you can apply?

FYI - I’ve been on adhd recently and anxiety meds (adderall and Zoloft) for about 5 years. They do help with the stressful job and becoming a father but i don’t wneed it per se to function in daily life since im on low doses.

Hello,
as the title states I haven’t drilled in a year. And when I did last drill it was just for Indoc. I got a federal law enforcement job almost immediately after getting out and went to an academy for it then moved cross country.

I have no idea how the assignment system works or who I belong too really but apparently my TRUIC is NRC San Diego but I’m supposed to drill with a different unit. I was in contact with people from the unit I drill with and have made it clear I plan to go IRR since December of last year. But today I got a call wondering where I am and what I’ve been doing. I submitted a special request awhile back to transfer my TRUIC to my new state as they said it was the best course of acting going forward. Again no clue how any of this works as it’s vastly different from AD.

I have 0 interest at all in continuing with the military. I however was part of the group that got forced into 2 years active reserve since I joined in October of 2020. I am VA rated from injuries during my time active duty and all I really care about is maintaining that going forward.

First, what is the best option for me moving forward, and Second what am I really losing by being admin separated.

Thank you very much for your time.

Good day everyone!

I recently discovered that my GTCC had been charged off, due to the fact that my final command as an AD SM did not file my travel claim/voucher properly, leaving a balance on my card, which was then paid off very late (somewhere around or over 180 days after the charge was accrued) after having to file my claim again. I have spoken with my new/current reserve CoC at length about this and they have told me that because of this I will not be able to attend A school for my cross-rate.

Ultimately: Is there anyway around this? I even spoke with my SEL about utilizing a CBA instead, but he informed me that it is policy from a few levels up that they do not allowed sailors without GTCCs to attend A school. Would submitting a congressional inquiry after working with a JAG make any difference? If I'm truly denied the ability to attend A school because of this can I request separation due to the Navy not fulfilling my contract? Or would I just have to request to be moved to IRR? I would sincerely like to attend this A school in order to get this rate, almost at any cost because I *REALLY* want this rating. Thanks in advance.

TL;DR Can't attend A school due to a GTCC charge-off and high up policy that Sailors are prohibited from attending A school without a GTCC, anything I can do about this at all??

How much freedom do Navy Reserve Intel Officers have over when they mobilize? Say you have personal circumstances that make it difficult to mobilize in year 4 and 5. Is it fine to just wait until year 6? Say it's difficult for you to mobilize in years 5 and 6. Can you definitely mobilize in year 4?

So this is going to be cut and dry. I’m currently serving in the Navy and my age is 41. Being thinking about going the officer route because I always have seen myself in leadership. I’m a YN2 and just graduate this past Saturday (9May26). My GPA was 3.79 and I graduated with honors. When it comes to the OAR test I’m hearing a bit of everything. Do I have a good chance at becoming a officer or should I let it be?

I went this route to get my clearance and good insurance for me and my wife. Fast forward a year and a half out and I have the following:

• Good GEOINT focused contracting job that's looking to push me for a full scope.
• A bachelors in a related field, considering my masters.

Frankly I don't give a fuck about weather though I'm grateful for the opportunities this gave me. I also want to utilize this time in to its fullest potential in a way that can reinforce my civilian career as an intel analyst. I haven't hit the 24 month qualifier that would tell me whether I can eventually convert through CWAY into something like IS. In terms of qualifiers I had a high 90's ASVAB. I just want a job that compliments my real world skillset.

As of now AG has convert out open and convert in closed per the CH link.

And IS has convert in open and convert out closed per the CH link.

Is there anything realistically preventing me from making this switch at the 24 months? Does this 24 month window start when I enlisted or when I got gained at my NRC?

I considered trying to commission in the next few years but I'm not sure where I would fit despite my civilian career as 1835 is probably too competitive for someone like me and METOC requires a STEM degree.

Im think of switching units as I don’t get to see my unit at all aside from AT and then I get shitty evals for it. They don’t do quarterly drills at all unless you’re local to the area otherwise you just don’t get seen. I’ve tried to show face but it’s just really annoying and I would rather go somewhere where I’ll actually be productive and helpful as opposed to just being a bum. My rate has these billets open and I was curious what people’s experiences are and how often you guys actually go to those areas. I haven’t gone overseas yet so it would be cool if the unit does that for AT. Anyone have any experience?

Got off Accutane before MEPS so I didn't have an issue, but acne came back, and I want to go back on a low dose for long-term maintenance. Is it possible to get a waiver for this?