I Yam's Page

Thanks to all for the warm welcome. In all honesty though, my wife signed me up without my knowledge, but that is okay since I signed her up at Navy Moms without her knowing. Our son joined the Navy just a month or so after getting his BA from the University of Houston but had first brought up the idea of joining the Navy a year or so earlier. At the time, his mother and I were a bit concerned that he might forgoe his college education, but he took our advice and did nothing in haste and conducted some sober and meaningful research. He initially considered OCS, but because of various reasons he ultimately decided to get some enlisted experience first. I do not think he has dismissed the idea of working his way into a commission. He left for RTC in mid-January and is currently in A-School at the Defense Information School (DINFOS) at Ft. Meade, Md. His rating is (or will be) Mass Communication Specialist (MC), which is a rare rating that was formed with the consolidation of something like four older ratings (Journalism, Lithography, Photography, and Draftsman). I believe DINFOS only produces 76 MC's per year, though they also produce equivalent personnel for the other service branches. Ft. Meade is technically an Army base, and Dylan tells us there are only about 100-150 Navy personnel there. He is due to graduate from A-School in Oct., and, though he is having a great experience there, he is anxious to get out into the fleet. Although his rating could take him essentially anywhere in the world, his preferences are to either serve on a forward deployed ship or embedded as a combat correspondent (a prospect that makes his mother and I especially nervous). We are are both very proud of him and have been suportive of his decisions. We never pass up a chance to brag on him to our friends, or to strangers for that matter.