Well I got mine - that is to say, next Wed is my last day as a US Sailor. 4 years 3 months and 17 days. Enlisted the whole way. CTI was my rate.

Nice to have served but I kinda feel funny reading the paper. I mean 4 years of work all summed up in one word -- "Honorable". Never was a doubt - never went to mast which from what I have been seeing is rare these days.

Unfortunately I never got over seas or on a ship - friken shore duty the whole hitch but I asked for deployments. I requested Iraq and Afghanistan - 2x. Others got to go instead of me. I can honestly say I am diappointed by that.

I served with some great people -- military and civies. Best NCO I ever met would be a tie between a 1st class and an Army E6. Marines continue to impress me with their esprit de corps and good attitudes.

Gonna be weird not waking up at 4 am and shaving everyday or not searching collars for officers.

Well the next few months should be crazy - moving and getting signed up for school ect.

Thanks to all on the fire here who have and continue to support the military - it is most appreciated by those who serve.

Bravo Zulu!

Congrats is in order...Congrats !
And thnx for serving.

I've carried my dd-214 for 25 years, and have not used it yet. I guess one uses it for the type of job you go after.
Good luck in school!

Congrats, remember to file that at the county courthouse. And amke about 20 copies, every time you do soemthing with the VA, you need it. Les

Big congrats! Two of our best friends are married and retired CT Warrants. 43 years of service and not a day of sea duty between them . What did I do wrong <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Violator - question - why would I file that at the county court house? I don't remember that brief or did they not tell me something .... AGAIN.

Pugs - I wanted to go to sea. They didn't have a place for me with my NEC. I asked to go to the desert -- others with more stripes got to go.

I have no regrets - other than rate maybe -- I would have really liked to have been a sea-bee like my grandfather and father in law.

Remember Blackhawk Down? The guy complaining because the army found out he could type so he never got to do anything - I screwed up by taking the ASVAB and trying too hard - that got me the DLAB. SO once I aced those - I was suggestivly pushed into the CTI rate -- I went into it eyes open but if I had to do it over - I woulda been a dirt sailor.

Neat thing is my cousin joined the Navy recently - lucky bugger got Japan - I got Texas.

You can now also get your DD214 on-line from the national archives so the multiple copies in multiple places is not as critical as it was (but I still do along with my SERE certificate!)

Here's the link to request it.

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

When I was outprocessing, the Army actually sent mine to my County Records clerk, They gave me a certified copy at no charge when it came in. Pretty much every job I have had since I got out has wanted to get a copy of my DD-214, they just usually need a copy. I am thinking that it is a Colorado thing, when my Dad got out of the Air Force in michigan, the Air Force gave him his. Les

Yea, the whole "needs of the Navy" thing took me down some interesting paths. I'm not sure I'd do twenty again but there's no way I would have missed the first ten. We had a commitment of eight years after winging so at that point you've invested a bunch and it was fun up until the last couple years. I miss flying and life in a squadron. I don't miss the Navy.

I had fun and to be honest - other than a few areas - it was posititve.

Highlight was doing some training with a west coast SEAL team - best friken 8 hours of my career.

I asked to go air crew -- color blind. I fought that one hard - embarassed a chief and was told to drop it. Point taken.

Kinda funny - he told me I couldn't do AC as I would be an observer also - I had to be able to tell the colors of the acft running lights and which side they were on to tell the crew if said acft was comming after us or not -- I replied that if the airplane was getting bigger it was comming after us and if it was getting smaller it was going away - didn't matter what color the running lights were vice what side I saw them on.

Was amazing - I could tell (as could the 40 other seamen apprentices in the room) that he had never thought of it that way. Was like a movie and the light bulb went on. I understood the point but I was stupid and had all of 9 months in the Navy so I thought I could risk getting yelled at.

I have used my DD214 on several occasions, make sure you hang on to it!


CCW needed it here, and some other official agencies for odd reasons.

They sent me a certificate I could frame and a neat little lapel pen about 2 years later!

congrats!

I was also in the navy for 8 years, overseas 1 time on 10 different ships from Aircraft carrier to Fast Frigate...

Lots of fun... what's the saying Fun Time Navy?...

Enjoy, Teal! Guys like you EARN IT for all the rest of us!

Don't lose it...I lost mine once and it was a PITA to get a copy of it...Congrats on your separation...
Bart

You should check your benefits. There were tuition payments for school. The first house we bought was on a VA loan gurantee a few months after we got married (30 years ago now).

Congratulations, Andrew, and thanks. What did you decide to do about school?

Congrats on your service, just because you didn't make it to Iraq or Afghanistan doesn't make you any less of a vet. You did your service and you can be proud of it.

And as far as having your DD214 recorded with your county clerk it becomes a permanent record and if you should happen to loose it through Fire, Theft or an "Act of God" not to mention a messy divorce from an Ex Wife you can always get a Certified Copy from the County Clerk. I can tell you that from personal experience as I have no clue as to where my Discharge Papers are due to a devorce and as a result I have no clue what the Ex had done with them, but a Legion Service Officer had mine recorded with Duval County Clerk in Jacksonville, Florida when I applied for schooling under the GI Bill back in 1965. It's just good insurance.

Thanks for your service to our country.

Now?

Grow a beard, and "Assimilate".............

Use that GI bill, you've earned it.............I'm not sure it's the best rate on buying a home, though. Like others posting, I've never used mine.

GTC

Not to take away from this thread, but a question just came to me. How do you get a copy of your last "Honorable Discharge" certificate? Anyone done so? I have my first two given to me when I re-upped, but the last one when I got out for good never made it to me. Wouldn't mind having it.

teal-

Get a copy of your medical record for your own files. It will help if you have a VA claim.

There is another side to getting a copy of your DD214 registered at the county courthouse. Once this is done it becomes a public document and anyone asking for it gets it. Much better for your own privacy is to make 20 copies and use them when you need them, keep the origional in your safe.

Go get a VA physical ASAP, have a VFW, DAV, County (etc) service officer help submit any claims for disablity (hangnails included).

Good luck

I recently had to prove that I lived at a certain address in 1961 to collect some unclaimed funds from an insurance policy. Good ole recorded DD214 did the trick!

It never leaves you, you only take a leave from it. I was E-5 in the Army, a total of 13 years, and 1 in the Sea-Bee's, and then 2 in the Navy. All reserve. Did six months in the first gulf war. Just got my fill and didn't want anymore. Took me untill now to get started on getting a claim started with the Veterans office, it's only been since something like 1993.

Teal,

Congratulations and thank you for your honorable service!

Chuck

Thank you for your service, and don't forget to create a resume on your way out. I created one of such when I retired from the AF, and years later they were still calling every now and then for job offers.

Congrats.

Are you still going to gunsmithy school???

SF-180

Request form... printable

http://www.archives.gov/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf

Teal. like you many of us were anchord in the US, I was a Training Instructor, (drill sgt., TI), in the AF for four years.
Have several copys of my 214 and one over my sun visor in auto right now to take to a Vet club for membership. The VA requires it and like many have said, protect it in a way you think is best. -- no

Teal;

Congratulations, and thank you. Even if you were just a squid, that taxi service y'all provide is important... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Good job, sailor! I got mine on 9/3/69 after three years on submarines...

Too bad about the shore duty. I was lucky enough to spend the majority of two years over in Japan, China and the Philipines..

Thanks for doing the job. Too many whiners around who won't.

Thanks fellas,

As to the future prospects - I plan on wasting the rest of my summer working finish carpentry and fishing like a mad man with my son. This fall I should start a local CNC machining program at the tech school. 2 years and they also cover manual machines as well. Seems to be fairly intensive with emphasis on programming.

As to the resume thing - I have had some nibbles but the idea of living IVO Washington DC and in government and the hassle of keeping my clearance up to snuff - wasn't worth it to me -- so I am prob one of the few sailors in my rate not staying in the govt employ as an intel geek. I need snow, trees and a boss who understand that Nov 15 is a holy day <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I hope to learn enough and put enough money away to start some small smithing on the side --- basic re-barrels and such. Later I would like to specialize but I do not want to turn something I enjoy into a hassle.

I prefer for myself fine wood, rust bluing, hand checkering and the like - basicaly I am hoping to do enough work on the side to pay for my own rifles the way I like them.

I appreciate the kudos gentlemen.

PS -- I had a meeting with my CO today - other than him giving me my Navy Good Conduct Medal - I never spoke to the guy but I'll be danged if he wasn't at least up to speed on my wife's name and my son. He also was aware of what I was working on ect. Really impressed me that he was looking into just who I was before I left.

Don't let your clearance expire... you never know when you might need it. Do you have any mandatory IIR time? That would be a good reason for Uncle Sugar to renew it. I got out last year and I still get to do the same work, but just the fun parts!!

You could easly deploy for a while as a contractor... If you want some info send me a PM.