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Another thought I had from my nuke power days: I had a good Surefire flashlight for checking the bilge, looking at valves, etc. A nice LED dual illumination light (low and high power) would be thoughtful and useful on the sub.

I went NROTC, an application made while I was in enlisted nuke school (back in 2000...). In keeping with the advice from @Old Navy BGO -- I was the class leader in 'A' School, and I did well, which meant I became the class leader in NPS. Leading your peers is a thankless job but I did it and...

A few thoughts: In the plant they'll be initialing and signing A LOT of things, so a nice pen could be an option. Modern nuclear subs are the legacy of Admiral Rickover. His biography could be a good gift. Another great submarine book is Blind Man's Bluff. Highly recommended. An inscription...

Awesome, thank you!

Nice. I've never heard of ranks in MMA (and I've been around this a long time) but green is super legit in BJJ. Marine Martial Arts (MCMAP) is fine and serves its purpose, but I know I've hemmed up many a MCMAP practitioner who only knew MCMAP. Anyway, whenever I find out something I'll post...

Though I won't report to USNA until November, I'm in the final stretch of my dissertation and my family is getting ready to move to the Annapolis area. I'm long time BJJ practitioner / coach / competitor and heard there's a club on the yard, but the FB group had no schedule posted. Any insights...

I guess this means my hard-nosed prior enlisted energy casually judging dirtbag officers with their hands in their pockets will need to be directed elsewhere. ;) I do agree that generally, certain uniforms look a little off when there's a bunch of stuff in the pockets and that walking with...

Good stuff. Totally viable, you'd just need to be organized and persistent with the application when the time comes.

You'd already be a commissioned officer, correct? So yes, you could change branches. It wouldn't be a direct commission though, it would be an inter-service transfer (which is a big priority right now for the Navy RC). If I'm misunderstanding you and you'd be enlisted in the Army reserve, so...

Quite a bit to unpack here. Yes -- inter service transfers, particularly within the RC, are fairly common in my experience. If you're wanting to do it while still in the Army, you'd need a conditional release (form DD-370 IIRC). If you finish your army time, you'd be joining the Navy Reserve...

Possible, yes. A potentially excessive challenge? Yes. I would personally recommend focusing on depth within your chosen major and increased attention to the various extracurricular activities (leadership and sports) that USNA will expect of you. Regarding my depth comment -- while I don't have...

@nuensis hits a lot of solid details. I'll approach this differently: what community were you selected for? Aviation? SWO? Intel?

I saw a lot of waivers for this when I was an OCS recruiter. I know it's a huge disappointment now, but if commissioning is your goal, it's very attainable through the OCS route (or as an NROTC college program applicant that seeks a scholarship starting your sophomore year if I understand the...

Granted, for me it was the early 2000s, but my tuition was paid directly -- I never had money put into any account (other than my monthly stipend). The only exception is when I won some scholarships later, the excess funds between those and the NROTC money in my student account was refunded to...

This is a great podcast about coin culture that gets into it from an outsider's perspective. Coins are a fun piece of military culture. In an organization that is so regimented and instruction focused, coins have remarkable freedom and creativity behind their design. I've accumulated north of...

If it isn't too late, you could consider an NROTC scholarship. The end result is the same as USNA: a commissioning. Qualified applicants have a very good chance of receiving a scholarship this FY when you consider the amount they intend to award and the historical applicant numbers.

Pretty straightforward answer: My undergrad: 5 year service committment (completed in 2010) My MS: a single payback tour after that (they knew I was in for the long haul though as I was at 12 years service when they sent me to grad school) My PhD: PMP is unique but in short, I'm required to...

Possible - yes. I do know the CEC community frequently has very specific MS education requirements so the online option / aerospace will depend on the community and as @Capt MJ mentioned - the detailer. Advantage to doing the degree online and your own time is that it frees up shore duty...

Great question and yes. Sure, put what I know now in my 18 year old body and perhaps I'm doing some things differently but I'm thrilled with where my life is at and have far exceeded any expectations I ever set for myself as the first in my family to go to college.

As always, @Capt MJ nails it. Many of my peers have had their grad school paid for. An MS is a strong differentiator for O-4 selection and nearly a requirement for O-5 selection. In some instances, be it personal choice, aptitude, or the needs of the Navy, officers are not offered funded...