Hi - I have a few questions for hubby, as he's out of town for a couple days. And before anyone says "call your recruiter" he did the other day and now the recruiter can't be reached until next week and more questions came up....
Background, he was Navy Active Duty on Submarines from 1995-2000 (Electronics Tech E-4). Now, he wants to get back into the military for the pension and the CGR interests him. Wants to do BM.
He understands that he needs to do the 11 day bootcamp. But what about the A School? On the BM video for the recruiting website it says that you possibly could get your training right at the base. However, not sure if that applies to Reserves or only AD. Even though he was an ET in the Navy, his ET job basically fell in like w/ a BM while on the surface or in port. He has quite a few letters from different Admirals citing him on doing a good job in running the radar and maintaing the sail (basically chipping and painting). Anyway to get out of going to BM school for 3 mos? Bottom line is by going to school for the 3 mos, he'd be making about $5K less then his current job. Or, if he does need to go to school, he only receives basepay and then BAH (since I'd be staying home in WI when he went to VA), right? Anymore specialpays to make the $5k less seem a little more bearable?
Second question, what's the likelyhood he could get E4 (his same rank when left Navy) by singning up? When he initially spoke to the recruiter he wanted to do Electronics Tech in CGR and they said that they could get him back in as a E4. He has since decided BM sounds a little more exciting. He went to the Navy Reserves this week and they'd jump him to E5 and a $25K signing bonus for 5 years. Probably because they were giving some incentive since he'd be in Iraq in a couple months (was thinking Seabee). I know singning bonus is probably not an option in the CGR (esp not at that level), but keeping E4 is probaly the most important thing.
ANSWER: A Rating Force Master Chief makes the decision if the person can come in at a paygrade of E-4 through E-6. Your husband has been out of service for 7 years, he needs to be re-trained, this means either go to ET A School or BM A school, no way around this. Coast Guard BM's are far different than Navy BM's. Even Coast Guard ET's are different than Navy ET's. Both jobs merged with other jobs, BM/QM and ET/FT. Bottom line he will have to attend and A school. No special pays, he will go to REBI as an E-3 and A school as an E-3 with 5 years of service for pay.
ANSWER: being out 7 years is what's going to hurt him for ET3. He will need to submit a Rate Determination Package for ET3 and keep his fingers crossed. HIGHLY unlikely the BM Rating Force Master Chief would approve BM3. No bonus for either ET or BM in Coast Guard Reserve. Of course the Navy will pay that much they have special plans for him if he enlists.
CPO Kalbach, prior Navy, enlisted 26 prior Navy in the past 6 years.
